native to the Andes Mountains. This a fast-growing columnar cactus used for traditional medicine and traditional veterinary medicine. It is widely grown as an ornamental cactus. Its stems are light to dark green and white flowers are produced at the end of the stem which bloom at night. There are black hairs along the length of the tube leading to the flower. Oblong dark green fruits are produced after fertilization. They average half a meter per year of new growth.