Pink-Red Succulent

This short cactus grows up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall. The very narrow, elongated stem is pink-red, and is covered in brittle grey spines.

It is very slow growing, taking 5 years to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, several flowers with petals that are generally turquoise; each flower tends to be a variation of this colour grow at the top, reappearing after 7 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is shaped like a dish made up of handfuls of widely spaced, round-tipped petals. It has a weak scent that smells like misty mornings.

The cactus's skin is rock-hard, the green flesh is rubbery, and the grey sap is thin.