Silverbell

This small shrub grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall and lives for around 33 years. It is very resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has dozens of knobbly, twisting stems covered in cracked, silver bark, and the wood inside is gray.

The branches are very long and thin with hundreds of twigs that and are covered with thick bunches of huge, long, narrow, leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are amber at the bottom and red with faded green zig-zags at the top, tough and fuzzy.

In early summer it produces dozens of medium-sized, subtle red blossoms with V-shaped petals with a bell-shaped floral cup. They are sturdy and have a mildly strong scent that smells like paint.

In midwinter very large broad, flat fruits ripen. The smooth muted orange skin is thick and edible when cooked; it is savoury, and the crunchy yellow flesh is sweet and sour and very juicy. The blood red seeds are large and are scattered throughout the fruit.