Golden Spine Succulent

This average-sized leaf succulent grows up to 57 feet (17.4 meters) tall. The slender, pointed stem is gray-green, and is covered in many rigid gold spines. The lumpy leaves are found in bright blue, gold and cyan varieties. Small bunches of them grow on bulbous, yellow-green branches that are very short, thin and wispy. The leaves are resistant, but take little effort to detach.

It is steady-growing, taking 16 months to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, a handful of flowers, with alternating petals of bold yellow and lilac, with a lilac central disk, grow at the top, reappearing after 3 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is made up of 11 petals in raised layers. It has a soft scent that smells like perfume.

The leaf succulent's skin is thick, the cyan flesh is soft, and the brown sap is thin and causes severe cramps if consumed.