Green-stemmed cactus from Bolivia with golden yellow, brownish or whitish spines. Stems may grow upright at first, but then sprawl or trail downward. They typically form clumps, branching at the base. Stems grow to about an inch in diameter and up to 5 feet in length (with advanced age) with 16-17 ribs, ~20 central spines and ~30 radial spines. Flowers are orange-red, spreading to about 2 inches wide.

This cactus is great as a hanging plant, fast-growing and very easy to propagate from cuttings (stumps will branch afterwards). A single-stemmed plant can be segmented and used to propagate many offspring (preserving the orientation on each so they stay right side up). Rooting occurs within just a few weeks.

The former subsp. colademono (sometimes listed under the former name colademononis, from its original description) has many long, thin white spines and bright red or orange-red flowers. The subspecies name is the concatenated Spanish name for the plant (monkey tail) and is not Latinized in Hunt's revision. This former subspecies tends to be smaller, slower growing, and significantly slower to root.

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