This is curious tree that has leaves on young plants and root sprouts larger than those on mature plants! The flowers numerous inconspicuous appear on spikes 1.5-18 cm long in the spring. The fruit is an achene surrounded by a dark purple edible fleshy perianth, ripening in the fall. Young trees appear pyramidal until the multiple trunks begin spreading. This can form a rounded vase on older specimens. It is a wonderful small to medium-sized tree for subtropical landscapes, typically sporting a multiple trunk. Trunks often grow almost parallel to each other. The tree is unable to survive hard frost, but is resistant to high winds, salt and drought.
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