Leatherfruit Tree

This small fruit tree grows up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and lives for up to 40 years, with the oldest known specimen being around 58 years old. It is very resistant to destructive insect infestation but susceptible to disease.

It has a very thick, straight trunk covered in silky, mahogany-coloured bark, and inside, the soft wood is black with white speckles.

The sparse amount of branches are short stubs and are covered with copious amounts of large, spear shaped leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are solid peach or amber, with light green zig-zags.

In early spring, it produces lots of tiny, olive blossoms with sickle shaped petals with a tube-like floral cup. They are sturdy and have an overpowering scent that smells like leather.

In late autumn it produces tiny, broad, flat fruit. The leathery orange skin is thin and inedible, and the soft turquoise flesh is bitter and juicy. The yellow seed is large and sits at the top of the fruit.

The roots are fine and grow in a large web, and overall the tree is rigid and weak, and breaks apart easily.

Forests of this species feature the trees packed together densely, with the space between them filled with thick undergrowth.