Purple Trumpet Fruit Tree

This modest-sized fruit tree grows up to 13 feet (4.0 meters) tall and lives for up to 20 years, with the oldest known specimen being around 30 years old. It is very resistant to disease but is susceptible to destructive insect infestation.

It has a long and flexible, straight trunk covered in very thick, waxy, pine-coloured bark, and inside, the light wood is silver.

The small clumps of branches trail down to the ground and are covered with small amounts of huge, asymmetrical leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are dull green and slate.

In early spring, it produces hundreds of medium-sized, purple blossoms with slender, pointed petals with a trumpet-shaped floral cup. They fall easily and have a weak scent that smells like pineapple.

In mid-summer it produces tiny, slender, 7 pointed fruit. The clammy purple skin is tough and sweet, and the very soft olive flesh is savoury and syrupy. The grey seeds are large and are bunched at the bottom of the fruit.

The roots are thick and spread across the surface, as well as underground, and overall the tree is sturdy, flexible, and difficult to uproot or break.

Forests of this species feature trees spaced far apart, with the space between them filled with thick undergrowth.