Bookfruit Tree

This short fruit tree grows up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall and lives for up to 40 years, with the oldest known specimen being around 57 years old. It is susceptible to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has a knobbly, straight trunk covered in rough, pine-coloured bark, and inside, the flexible wood is yellow.

The thick clumps of branches are short, rigid and upright and are covered with handfuls of giant, wispy leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are blood red and florescent orange.

In early spring, it produces hundreds of large, blue blossoms with 6 pointed petals with a trumpet-shaped floral cup. They fall easily and have a powerful scent that smells like new books.

In mid-autumn it produces small, fan-like fruit. The soft light brown skin is thick and edible when boiled; it is sweet, and the soft cream flesh is spicy and very dry. The beige seeds are tiny and are dotted around on the skin of the fruit.

The roots are shallow and grow straight down, and overall the tree is sturdy and rigid.

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