Orange Spike Succulent

This large leaf succulent grows up to 99 feet (30.2 meters) tall. The sickle shaped stem is green, and is covered in thick sheets of fine, bold orange, hair-like spines. The pebble-like leaves are found in white, olive and light yellow varieties. Small bunches of them grow on wide, gray-green branches that trail down to the ground. The leaves are hardy, but take little effort to detach.

It is very slow growing, taking 30 years to reach maturity. Once mature, and only under the right conditions, a single flower with petals that are light grey on the edges and white at the center grows at the top, reappearing after 10 years, but only when the conditions are right again. The flower head is made up of dozens of petals in raised layers. It has a weak scent that smells like petrol.

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