Check out the Amazing Cactus with Arms list that adds charm and character to any space. Find your green-arm companion.
Look at Amazing Cactus with Arms, where nature takes on an unexpected twist. These plants bring you close to nature’s creativity at its finest.
Check out Beautiful Cactus With Pink Flowers
Amazing Cactus with Arms
1. Dog Tail Cactus
Botanical Name: Strophocactus testudo
The Dog Tail Cactus grabs the perceiver’s attention with its skinny trailing stems. It can grow upto 9 feet in its native habitat. This cactus is an epiphytic (air plant) and can grow either on the ground or at the top of other plants.
You can cultivate it in hanging baskets or containers, and its fragrant white flowers will make your space more appealing.
2. Fairy Castle Cactus
Botanical Name: Acanthocereus tetragonus
The Fairy Castle Cactus is native to Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the southern United States.
The plant gets its name because its multiple stems are different lengths and look like castle towers. It is a slow grower that can reach up to 6 feet on maturity. Also, it produces white or yellow flowers—rarely!
3. Saguaro Cactus
Botanical Name: Carnegiea gigantea
The Saguaro cactus is found in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, particularly in the Whipple Mountains. It grows very slowly when young but is considered one of the best cacti due to its stem growth.
Did you know? Small birds make holes inside the soft flesh of the Saguaro to build their nests, while larger ones build nests on the cactus’s arms.
4. Devil’s Rope Cactus
Botanical Name: Cylindropuntia bigelovii
It is also known as the ‘teddy bear cholla’ and has a soft appearance due to its formidable defense mechanism of sharp spines covering its stems.
The cactus grows between 1 and 5 feet tall and has silvery-white spines resembling fuzzy texture. From May to June, it produces yellow-green flowers on the stems, followed by fruits.
Note: Its spines can cause irritation if touched.
5. Branched Pencil Cholla
Botanical Name: Cylindropuntia Ramosissima
This one is a unique cactus that can grow up to 6 feet. It has numerous slender branches composed of cylindrical segments. Additionally, the surface of the branches is divided into square-shaped, flat bumps called tubercles, giving it a tree-like look!
Also, it produces tiny orange, brown, or pinkish flowers and fruits that are 2 cm long.
6. Blue Myrtle Cactus
Botanical Name: Myrtillocactus geometrizans
The Blue Myrtle Cactus is a tree-like cactus with bluish-grey arms, 7-10 cm thick. It grows tall and has many branches, forming a dense cluster of closely packed stems.
Though taking care of it is easy, it requires a lot of space, just like it would in its natural environment. Also, Its sweet, dark red fruits are edible.
Check the Best Types of Columnar Cactus Varieties
7. Key Tree Cactus
Botanical Name: Pilosocereus robinii
You can find the Key Tree cactus in rocky tropical hardwood habitats. It is a large tree (33 feet) that grows straight with dozens of spreading branches.
Furthermore, its bell-shaped flowers are 5-6 cm long, emit a garlic-like smell, and contain sweet nectar.
8. Totem Pole Cactus
Botanical Name: Pachycereus schottii f. monstrous
The Totem Pole Cactus grows slowly and has tall, columnar stems that branch out at the bottom, resembling a candelabra. The stems are 5 inches wide and have a smooth, waxy texture with a lime-green color.
Its flowers open at night and close mid-morning, making it a great addition to succulent, rock, or desert gardens!
9. Jumping Cholla Cactus 
Botanical Name: Cylindropuntia fulgida
Need a beautiful cactus to spruce up your landscape? Well, it’s here for you! The Jumping Cholla Cactus is known for its unique spines. Its clusters of long, sharp spines can easily detach and stick to anything that gets too close, which is why it’s called the “jumping” cactus.
In spring, it produces colorful white to pink flowers, adding beauty to its appearance.
10. Armatocereus mataranus
Botanical Name: Armatocereus mataranus
This is a tall columnar cactus found in South America, mainly in the Andes mountains of Peru and Bolivia.
Also, it has long green stems that are ribbed, dividing it into sections, making it a beautiful addition to your collection.
11. Calico Cactus
Botanical Name: Echinocereus Engelmannii
If you are looking for a small cactus with arms. Then this one is for you! You can find Calico Cactus growing in clusters with up to 60 stems in desert areas. Its leaves turn into spines of different colors, such as red, white, yellow, or gray.
Additionally, it has a showy, tubular-shaped rose-pink to magenta-colored flowers from February to June.
12. Organ-Pipe Cactus
Botanical Name: Stenocereus thurberi
The organ-pipe cactus is native to Northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona in the United States. It can grow quite tall, reaching heights of about 12 feet wide and 15 feet tall.
Its long, multiple olive green columnar stems with thorned ribs give it the shape of a candelabra. Also, it produces red fruits just before the arrival of summer rains.
13. Armatocereus rauhii subsp.
Botanical Name: Armatocereus rauhii subsp.
The Armatocereus rauhii subsp. is found in South America. It has tall, slender stems and is one of the few cacti with arms that have ribbed patterns.
The cactus has a bluish to greyish-green hue and long spines growing along its sides, producing small purple blooms on its stems.
14. San Pedro Cactus
Botanical Name: Echinopsis pachanoi
The San Pedro Cactus is an amazing columnar cactus that can grow up to 6 to 20 feet tall. It is native to the Andes mountains in South America and is incredibly low maintenance.
The cactus has a light to dark green color with ridges along its stems and produces large white flowers.
15. Cane Cactus
Botanical Name: Austrocylindropuntia cylindrica
It is also known as the ‘Coral cactus.’ The Cane Cactus has cylindrical, segmented stems with a dark bluish-green hue.
Also, its pink-red flowers, measuring 2.5 cm wide and up to 6 cm long, can add a vibrant splash of color to any landscape.
Some Unique Ones!
16. Candelabra Cactus
Botanical Name: Euphorbia lactea
Also known as Mottled spurge, this plant resembles a cactus but is actually a succulent shrub. It can grow up to 15 feet. The branches or arms are green with white lines and sometimes grow in a wavy or crested shape.
In the summer, small leaves may appear briefly but fall off quickly, leaving the plant without leaves.
17. Giant Madagascar Palm
Botanical Name: Pachypodium laneri
The Giant Madagascar Palm is a tall, thick-stemmed succulent tree that can reach a height of 16 feet or more over time. It has a swollen trunk at its base that gradually tapers as it ascends, adorned with lustrous deep green leaves that emerge from the pinnacle.
Note: It might seem like a cactus with arms, but it belongs to the Apocynaceae family, not the Cactaceae family.
18. African Milk Tree Cactus
Botanical Name: Euphorbia trigona
This plant is native to Central Africa and looks like a cactus but is also a succulent (Euphorbiaceae family).
It has stems shaped like triangles and three distinct sides with ridges. The ridges are covered in thorns, and the leaves are teardrop-shaped. With a cluster of closely packed stems, this cactus with arms shows its beautiful shape.
Note: It is toxic to humans and pets.
