[1] Arthrocereus melanurus grows basally branched with multiple shoots that are up to a meter or more long.

[2] Arthrocereus melanurus is widespread in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais at altitudes of 700 to 1700 meters.

The first description as Cereus melanurus by Karl Moritz Schumann was published in 1890.

[3] The specific epithet melanurus is derived from the Greek words “μέλας” for black and “οὐρά” and refers to the appearance of the first plants collected.

Lothar Diers, Pierre Josef Braun and Eddie Esteves Pereira placed the species in the genus Arthrocereus in 1987.