A cactus. It is a treelike plant which is erect and tapers towards the top. It can be 20 m high. It is 35 cm across. The trunks are well formed and have clusters of spines. There are 2 types of stem segments. The ones in the middle are cylinder shaped and 20-100 cm long. The ends segments are an irregular shape and narrow towards the base. These produce thin leaf-like shoots which fall off. There are 1-3 spines. The flowers are on the tips of the end segments. They open during the day. They are 6 cm long yellow, orange, red or purple. They are 3-4 cm across. There are 1-5 seeds in each fruit.
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