This plant naturally creeps on the ground, giving it the common name “creeping devil”. Stems will grow prostrate along the ground with only their tips showing upward. Each stem can reach about 6-9’ long, though often they can be shorter, taking root as the grow along the ground. Sometimes the tips of the stems separate from the parent stem and spread out around it, the original stem sometimes dying. The plant can sometimes resemble a bunch of spikey caterpillars on the ground. The large, nocturnal flowers are white, pink, or yellow, about 5” long and occur sparingly in response to monsoon rain. The spiny fruit is 1.5” wide with black seeds.

Stenocereus eruca is considered one of the most extreme case of clonal propagation in the cactus family. This means that due to isolation and scarcity of pollinating creatures, the plant is able to clone itself. This is done by pieces detaching from the major shoot as their bases die and rot.

Plant in full sun, in very well-drained, preferably sandy, soil. Protect from frost. Give this plant room to “creep”.

Stenocerus comes from the Greek steno for narrow and the Latin cereus meaning a tapered candle, which describes many species in the genus; its specific epithet 'eruca' means 'caterpillar,' describing its odd growth habit of creeping on the ground.

This species is endemic of Magdalena Island and Llano de la Magdalena, in the central Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, growing on sandy flats and coastal sand dunes.

Stenocereus eruca on iNaturalist