Stenocereus beneckei is a shrub-like cactus with upright or slightly curved shoots, growing 1–2 meters tall.

They feature 6–9 widely spaced ribs divided into large, blunt cusps.

The ellipsoid fruits are tuberous, initially green, turning red as they mature, and measure up to 5 cm long and 3 cm in diameter, with colorless flesh.

[3] This species is native to deciduous forests in the Mexican states of Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla, and México, growing on rocky cliffs at altitudes of 1200 to 1400 meters.

The specific epithet honors Stephan Benecke, a Berlin-born trader and German consul in Mexico who founded the Camara Nacional de Comercio in 1875.