The cactus has seven to nine slightly rounded ribs that are not notched, and noticeable areoles adorned with dark brown, felt-like hairs.

The fruits of Stenocereus montanus are spherical to egg-shaped, ranging in color from green to reddish-green or purple, with a diameter of 5 to 6 centimeters.

[4][5] This cactus thrives in deciduous forests throughout the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sonora and northern Sinaloa typically at altitudes between 200 and 400 meters.

[4] Plants are found growing among Fouquieria macdougallii, Jatropha cinerea, Neltuma yaquiana, Lysiloma acapulcense, Ceiba pentandra, Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum and Stenocereus thurberi.

The Spanish common name for this species is "Pitaya Colorada," and in 1961, botanist Franz Buxbaum reclassified it into the genus Stenocereus.