Golden Spine Succulent

This short leaf succulent grows up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall. The spear shaped stem is orange-yellow, and is covered in thick sheets of flexible gold spines. The tattered-edged, needle-like leaves are solid green or copper, with crimson edges. Copious amounts of them grow from the base in a symmetrical pattern. The leaves are frail, but are very difficult to pull away.

It is very slow growing, taking 46 years to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, a handful of flowers, with petals that are blue on the edges and gentle purple at the center, grow at the top, reappearing after 2 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is an uncoordinated mess of up to 40 curved petals. It has a powerful scent that smells like burning wood.

The leaf succulent's skin is thick, the azure flesh is rubbery, and the copper sap is thin.