Edible Portion: Seeds, Spice
An evergreen tree. It grows to 10 m high and spreads to 3 m across. The stem is erect and it is intricately branched giving the tree a crown which is spreading and graceful. The leaf stalks are long. The leaves are alternate and simple. They are broad and heart shaped. They taper to the tip and have long leaf stalks. The flowers occur in a branched flower stalk. Several of these occur at the ends of branches. The flowers are open and cup-shaped. They can be pink or purple and 5 cm across. The fruit are hairy or bristly and heart shaped capsules. They are 3 cm long. They have a soft red skin. They can be yellow. When they are ripe they turn brown and split open. The capsules contain many dark red seeds.