Shrubby or treelike spiny cactus from Arizona, Baja California, and Sonora. Young plants and lower stems of older plants have the regular juvenile spines, which are short(ish) and rigid. The tips of older stems (the terminal few inches to 3 feet or more) form a pseudocephalium with lots of long, flexible gray spines. This is where the nocturnal white or pink flowers appear, as well as the small, red fruit (which is edible but not as good as that of Stenocereus thurberi). Pollinated by the mutualistic Senita Moth (Upiga virescens). Stems have various purported medicinal uses.

Different varieties have been described. This plant was formerly placed in Lophocereus, which has been lumped with Pachycereus, but is pollinated by moths instead of bats. A popular spineless, monstrose version (Totem Pole Cactus (Pachycereus schottii 'Monstrosus')) may be more common in cultivation than the wild type. A very similar plant, Pachycereus (Pachycereus gatesii), is much less common in cultivation and grows in a limited area of Baja California Sur.

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