[2] Cephalocereus apicicephalium grows with gray-green shoots up to 7 centimeters in diameter, is slightly branched at the base or sometimes above it and reaches heights of 1 to 3 meters.

The 1 to 4 downward directed and basally expanded central spines are reddish yellow to black and 2 to 4 centimeters long.

The 9 to 12 very slender, gray to white marginal spines are 1.5 to 1.8 centimeters long.

[3] Cephalocereus apicicephalium is common on steep limestone cliffs in the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Chiapas.

The specific epithet apicicephalium is derived from the Latin word apex for 'tip' and the Greek word kephale for 'head' and refers to the cephalium formed at the tips of the shoots.