Azure Spike

This small caudiciform grows up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall. The needle-like stem is gray-green, and is covered in handfuls of flexible azure spines. It has a angular, stocky, faded red trunk atop a thick, gnarled clump of wrinkled, exposed roots. The branches are very thick and gray-green and are long and slender.

The toothed-edged, wispy leaves are generally brown. They are strong, but take little effort to detach.

It is fast growing, taking 4 months to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, several flowers with pastel purple petals and a yellow center grow at the top, reappearing after 5 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is largely flat with dozens of raised narrow petals. It has a delicate scent that smells like petrol.

The caudiciform's skin is thick, the dark orange flesh is rough, and the vibrant yellow sap is thin.