Purplefruit Tree

This modest-sized fruit tree grows up to 11 feet (3.4 meters) tall and lives for up to 20 years, with the oldest known specimen being around 44 years old. It is very resistant to disease but is susceptible to destructive insect infestation.

It has a thick, twisting trunk covered in paper-thin, rough, pine-coloured bark, and inside, the very dense wood is mahogany-coloured.

The branches are long and thin and are covered with small amounts of small, stiff, pointed leaves with serrated edges. The leaves themselves are grey with purple tips.

In early spring, it produces dozens of small, beige blossoms with long, narrow petals. They fall easily and have a fairly strong scent that smells like rotten meat.

In late summer it produces , hourglass-shaped fruit. The soft cyan skin is peel-able and edible when boiled; it is savoury, and the crunchy purple flesh is sweet and savoury and very juicy. The olive seed is tiny and sits at the top of the fruit.

The roots are shallow and grow straight down, and overall the tree is rigid and weak, and breaks apart easily.

Forests of this species feature well-spaced trees, with the space between filled with undergrowth.