The San Pedro cactus is a fast-growing columnar cactus native to the Andes of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile. It is often confused with its close relative, the Peruvian Torch cactus.
The plant is light to dark green, sometimes glaucous, and having 4-8 (usually 5-7) ribs. Groups of 1-4 small, yellow to light brown, spines are located at the nodes which are spaced evenly (approximately 2cm apart) along the ribs. San Pedro can grow up to 5 meters tall and have multiple branches, usually extending from the base.