Browningia candelaris is is a floristic Peruvian peculiarity and one of the most spectacular large candelabra cactus, with most grotesquely twisting branches springing from the apex of a straight very spiny trunk. The morphological behaviour of Browningia candelaris is also quite remarkable. In its juvenile stage it forms a very spiny solitary columnar stem up to 3 metres tall, but in age it start branching and loose lose all spines forming a candleholder tree up to more than 7 m tall, but usually much shorter (about 3 to 5 meters). The adult cacti are so strange that they are nearly impossible to confuse with other species. The flowers and fruits are found only on the spineless adult branches, high enough to escape the grazing of herbivores.