These cactus plants have thick or thin stems grow very tall and straight. The primary example being the Saguaro cactus from the Sonoran Desert. Many columnar cactus have the name "cereus" meaning candle. Some examples are Pachycereus, Oreocereus, Stenocereus, Trichocereus, Pilosocereus, and Strombocereus. Columnar cacti have a very large water storage capacity which drastically affects it's variable weight. The weight can vary as much as three times from dry season to monsoon season.
