I was recently looking through an old gardening magazine and someone wrote in that they wore silicone oven gloves when potting up their cactus plants. I try to avoid weaponized plants since I'm such a klutz so I haven't tried it. Those Puya blooms are so gorgeous that they may be worth a little danger.
I actually got an Agave with those same inward-pointing thorns at a plant trade one year. I managed to get my flesh entangled in that thing so often that I was certain that it was living off of my blood. I started calling it Audrey II. When the next trade rolled around, I popped that sucker into the trunk to find it a new home. There happened to be a couple there that was specifically looking for Agaves and were thrilled to take it. I swear, I saw that thing practically lick its lips as its new victims carried it to their car.
