Candy barrel cactus, also known as the southwestern barrel cactus, is an unique cylindrical cactus that may grow up to 10 feet tall and 2 feet in diameter. It starts off circular, then becomes oval or cone-shaped, and eventually cylindrical. From the bottom to the top of the stem, there are 13-25 vertical ribs. The ribs are made up of tubercles that are pointy. The 12-20 yellowish-red or purplish-red spines are grouped together. The top three are straight, but the fourth is generally hooked downward and is significantly heavier than the other three. The flowers are around 2 inches long and up to 3 inches wide, and come in hues of yellow, gold, red, and orange.