Browningia candelaris aka Candleholder Cactus

Browningia candelaris, the candleholder cactus, belongs to the cactus family. It grows in Peru and northern Chile. Its home includes dry slopes and plains in the Atacama Desert. Rain may fail for years, but plants also take moisture from fog. Goats eat or trample young plants in parts of its range. Useful Tropical Plants reports a Data Deficient conservation listing from 2017.

This evergreen succulent grows into a tree with a branching crown. Sources place usual adult height at 10–16 feet [3–5 metres]. Some plants reach 20 feet [6 metres], with extremes above 23 feet [7 metres]. These figures describe adult plants, not a proven garden size range. Young plants start as a single, upright, spiny column. Older plants grow curved branches from the trunk's top. Those branches lose most or all of their spines. The trunk keeps its long, straight, brown spines throughout life. Each stem has about 50 ribs and closely spaced areoles.

White, tube-shaped flowers grow on the mature, nearly spineless branches. LLIFLE describes one yearly flowering event that lasts just 24 hours. It gives no month or season for this event. The fleshy fruit turns yellow as it ripens. Scales cover its skin, and many black seeds fill its flesh. People eat the fruit raw, sometimes with added sugar. The fruit also has a recorded use for gallbladder disease. That record describes traditional use, not proof that it works.

Growth in pots is very slow. LLIFLE reports plants reaching only 0.8 feet [0.25 metres] after about 25 years. Use a coarse, mineral cactus mix and a pot with good drainage. Rich compost can lead to stretched growth. Give light, regular summer water, letting the mix dry between drinks. Keep it dry through its winter rest, with good airflow. Too much water can cause rot. Brief frost near −2°C may be tolerated when dry. A winter rest at 5–10°C offers safer conditions.

Its tree form gives mature plants a clear outline. Pot culture is possible, though size develops over many years. People use dried stems for rainsticks, roof parts, and fuel. Useful Tropical Plants lists no known hazards. This does not establish safety for pets or all plant parts. The trunk's long spines remain a clear physical hazard.