Copper Spine Succulent

This modest-sized leaf succulent grows up to 49 feet (14.9 meters) tall. The tapering stem is red, and is covered in sharp spines. The smooth-edged, thick leaves are either red or grey, with blue edges. Sparse amounts of them grow from the base like a cabbage. The leaves are flimsy, and take some effort to detach.

It is very slow growing, taking 27 years to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, a handful of flowers, with solid sky blue petals decorated with copper dots and a lime central disk, grow at the top, reappearing after 8 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is shaped like a cup with 60 tightly layered, narrow petals. It has an overpowering scent that smells like something putrid.

The leaf succulent's skin is thin, the deep purple flesh is rough, and the indigo sap is thin and can cause blindness if consumed.