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Crimson Spine Cactus

Succulent type: Stem succulent (Stores water in its stem)

This short cactus grows up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall. The slender, pointed stem is lime green, and is covered in handfuls of rigid crimson spines.

It is very slow growing, taking 47 years to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, a handful of flowers, with petals that are sky blue in the center, dull red in the middle and caramel at the edges, grow at the top, reappearing after 9 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is an uncoordinated mess of up to 50 curved petals. It has a delicate scent that smells like pot-purri.

The cactus's skin is tough, the olive flesh is rubbery, and the red sap is thin.

It out-competes most other plants for nutrients and light.
It is suitable for making baskets and the like
The sap is dull purple.