Spiny Olive

This small leaf succulent grows up to 10 feet (3.0 meters) tall. The wispy stem is yellow, and is covered in handfuls of flexible grey spines. The stocky leaves are a shade of olive and gray that gradient shifts to orange at the top. Handfuls of them grow on wide, green branches that are very short and thin. The leaves are durable, but take little effort to detach.

It is very slow growing, taking 48 years to reach maturity. Once mature, a single flower with petals that are bronze on the edges and olive at the center grows at the top, reappearing every year. The flower head is largely flat with dozens of tightly layered round-tipped petals. It has an intense scent that smells like baby powder.

The leaf succulent's skin is thick, the muted purple flesh is rough, and the muted purple sap is thin.