I am not even sure it is real. But it sure is scary.

Well, I am not an expert, but compare Crown of thorns, Euphorbia milii (which is a succulent). However, there should be leaves (and sometimes flowers) -- but someone else will have to address that issue.

This post was edited by missingtheobvious on Mon, Sep 1, 14 at 21:33

Fouquieria splendens.

Man they are close. I am going to guess Fouquieria splendens. MOBOT cheats sometimes and will place non-hardy plants outside for the summer with no warnings. I do have some prickly pear cacti growing in my garden though. From what it sounds like even Fouquieria splendens will not tolerate my winter. And I certainly don't want that thing inside! Man, what a plant.

In some desert places they are used for fences.
Mike