Silver Spine Succulent

This big leaf succulent grows up to 73 feet (22.3 meters) tall. The sickle shaped stem is beige or olive, and is covered in handfuls of flexible grey spines. The irregular-edged, thin leaves are either muted blue or cream, with lime patches. Small bunches of them grow from the base in no particular order. The leaves are sturdy, but are very difficult to pull away.

It is very slow growing, taking 12 years to reach maturity. Once mature, a single flower with petals that are generally slate; each flower tends to be a variation of this colour grows at the top, reappearing once every 3 years. The flower head is shaped like a star with 25 tightly layered, round-tipped petals. It has a delicate scent that smells like sweat.

The leaf succulent's skin is thick, the dark grey flesh is rough, and the silver sap is thin.