Amber Spire

This small caudiciform grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall. The slender, pointed stem is moss green, and is covered in lots of fine, orange, hair-like spines. The straight, bronze trunk can grow to as much as 1 foot (30.5 cm) in diameter at the top. Its gray or turquoise branches are short stubs and start growing three quarters of the way up the stem.

The handfuls of smooth-edged, wide leaves are purple and magenta. They are flexible, and take little effort to detach.

It is slow growing, taking 34 years to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, a handful of flowers, with solid gold petals decorated with amber lines and a pastel yellow central disk, grow at the top, reappearing after 3 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is shaped like a cup with 12 tightly layered, round-tipped petals. It has a weak scent that smells like pine needles.

The caudiciform's skin is thin, the green flesh is rough, and the bright blue sap is thin.