Copperleaf

This modest-sized shrub grows up to 3 feet (91.4 cm) tall and lives for around 18 years. It is not very resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has numerous stocky, curved stems covered in waxy, burgundy and brown bark, and the wood inside is copper-coloured.

The branches are short and thick with thousands of twigs that and are covered with small amounts of small, broad, flat, leaves with ripped edges. The leaves themselves are hazel with dark blue tips, resistant and waxy.

In mid-summer it produces a thick sheet of giant, azure blossoms with broad, flat petals with a tube-like floral cup. They are hardy and have an overpowering scent that smells like meat.

In late autumn small fan-like fruits ripen. The soft blue skin is thick and inedible, and the crunchy cyan flesh is sour and syrupy. The dull orange seeds are tiny and are scattered throughout the fruit.