Red Spine Succulent

This small leaf succulent grows up to 3 feet (91.4 cm) tall. The perforated stem is red, and is covered in handfuls of fine, lime, hair-like spines. The pointed leaves are found in blood red, cream and cyan varieties. Copious amounts of them grow on wide, pink-red branches that are very short and slender. The leaves are frail, but are very difficult to pull away.

It is steady-growing, taking 11 months to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, several flowers with petals that are cream in the center, vivid blue in the middle and dark grey at the edges grow at the top, reappearing after 6 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is an uncoordinated mess of up to 10 petals. It has an intense scent that smells like alcohol.

The leaf succulent's skin is rock-hard, the white flesh is smooth, and the red sap is thin and causes upset stomachs if consumed.