Blue Zigzag Shrub

This small shrub grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall and lives for around 28 years. It is very resistant to disease but is susceptible to destructive insect infestation.

It has numerous thick, straight stems covered in very thick, wrinkled, white with black speckled bark, and the wood inside is dark brown.

The branches trail down towards the ground with dozens of twigs that and are covered with very large amounts of small, spear shaped, leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are solid washed-out blue or crimson, with violet zig-zags, flimsy and smooth.

In mid-spring it produces lots of tiny, black blossoms with long, tapering petals with a tube-like floral cup. They are very delicate and have a scent that varies in strength that smells like rotten meat.

In early autumn T-shaped fruits ripen. The smooth magenta skin is delicate and edible when roasted; it is overwhelmingly savoury, and the crunchy white flesh is bitter and very dry. The white seed is very large and sits at the top of the fruit.