Desert grasslands and desert mountainsides, elevations 1,000 to 5000 ft. Southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and Sonora, Mexico. Shrubby to treelike, to 8 feet.
Joints are gray-green with purple tinges, the purple coloration becoming stronger in winter.
Flowers are variable in color - white, yellowish, red or purple, and up to 3 inches wide. Fruits are eaten by cattle. Native Americans ate fruit raw or cooked. Cactus wrens nest in branches. Souvenirs such as canes and lamp bases have been made from the plant's woody inner skeleton.