Bloodfire Succulent

This short leaf succulent grows up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall. The thick stem is yellow-green, and is covered in thousands of fine, blood red, hair-like spines. The lumpy leaves are muted orange on the edges and green at the center. Handfuls of them grow on thin, gray branches that are short, rigid and upright. The leaves are sturdy, and are very difficult to pull away.

It is steady-growing, taking 4 years to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, a single flower with petals that are gold in the center, olive in the middle and bronze at the edges grows at the top, reappearing after 5 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is made up of many petals; the lower layer of petals are flat, while the upper layers form a tight sphere. It has a delicate scent that smells like faeces.

The leaf succulent's skin is rock-hard, the gentle red flesh is smooth, and the red sap is thin.