The rat tail cactus is a showy cactus native to southwestern Mexico and parts of Central America. It is distinctive for its long, trailing stems, which grow to about 4 feet at maturity and give the plant its nickname. Rat tail cactus flowers in the spring and early summer, and its blooms are usually violet-red; however, the plant will sometimes grow flowers in idiosyncratic colors like pink and orange. Its flowers are tubular and fairly large, about 2 inches wide. Though it produces quite a few flowers during its bloom in the late spring, each flower only lives for a couple of days at most. Plant rat tail cactus in the spring so it has the entire growing season to get established.