Bronze Spine Cactus

This small cactus grows up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall. It splits near the top to form 3 stiff, pointed stems. Each stem is yellow-green, and is covered in large amounts of flexible bronze spines.

It is slow growing, taking 48 years to reach maturity. Once mature, a handful of flowers, with solid peach petals decorated with purple dots and a brown central disk, grow at the top, reappearing every year. The flower head is shaped like a dish made up of dozens of widely spaced, round-tipped petals. It has an intense scent that smells like musk.

The cactus's skin is thick, the cream flesh is sticky, and the beige sap is thin.