Copperleaf

This small leaf succulent grows up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall. The sickle shaped stem is copper, and is covered in sharp spines. The pebble-like leaves are bright green and gold. Copious amounts of them grow on bulbous, green branches that are very short and slender. The leaves are flimsy, but take some effort to detach.

It is very slow growing, taking 48 years to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, several flowers with petals that are copper in the center, drab blue in the middle and brown at the edges grow at the top, reappearing after 6 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is shaped like a bowl with 17 widely spaced, narrow petals. It has a mildly strong scent that smells like sweat.

The leaf succulent's skin is nearly impenetrable, the hazel flesh is rubbery, and the purple sap is thin.