Growth Habits: Most of the books will say that the plant is solitary, sometimes clumping but certainly in my own experience my own plants always tend to clump. I suppose it is up to the individual grower whether he removes the offsets in the hope of growing a larger single head or not . The plant is a glaucous green, usually up to about 2.5 in. (6 cm.) high and can make 4 or 5 inches (approx. 12 cms.). The plant usually has a somewhat depressed crown. This is usually covered in a woolly growth. The ribs can be anything between 7 to 13 and are not prominent as the plant looks roughly rounded with spineless areoles that carry the whitish cream felt that makes the plant so attractive.
Scientific name: Lophophora williamsii
Common names: Mescal Button, Peyote.
Synonym: Echinocactus lewinii, Lophophora williamsii var. lutea, Echinocactus williamsii var. luteus, Mammillaria lewinii, Lophophora williamsii var. lewinii, Lophophora lewinii, Anhalonium lewinii, Lophophora jourdaniana, Lophophora diffusa ssp. fricii, Peyotl zacatensis var. fricii, Lophophora fricii, Lophophora williamsii var. echinata, Lophophora echinata, Lophophora lutea, Mammillaria williamsii, Anhalonium williamsii, Lophophora williamsii var. fricii
Etymology: The name is from the Greek lophos, meaning crest and phorein to carry, it seemingly refers to the tufts of hairs borne on the areoles.
Origin: USA (Texas), northern Mexico
Light: The Lophophora is a true desert cactus and although the sun there can be very harsh the plant is usually found growing in the shade of a stone or small rock, or even another cactus or small shrub.
Compost: Peyote will do well in any free draining compost mix. Although to promote flowering it is recommended to add a little Gypsum. Calcium is also thought to benefit Lophophora. I admit I have not tried any of these additives.
Water: The plant likes a good watering but take care, it has a long tap root and these type of plants do not like their ‘feet’ wet for long periods. Try if possible to water the plant from below, the main reason being if you water from the top you tend to spoil the woolly tufts and there is also a chance of rotting in the crown.
Flower: The pink flowers, are up to 1 inch in diameter (1.5 to 2.5 cm), They grow out from the ‘wool’ in the crown of the plant. It will take a plant several years to get to flowering size.
Fruit: The fruit of the plant is pink. Very similar in colour and shape to Melocactus fruits.
Min. temp: Will certainly stand down to 45°F (8°C), and maybe a little lower, although mine are never kept at a lower temperature than above.
Cultivation: The plant is quite slow growing and will take many years to form a good ‘head’ or clump. It should be grown in a deeper pot than normally used (Long Toms) if you can get them to accommodate its long tap root. I always make sure that the bottom inch of the pot is pure gravel to allow good drainage.
Habitat: This plant grows over such a wide area that to give a definitive answer regarding its habitat is all but impossible, but as a generalisation it would be fair to say that the there are large regions of arid land where the soil is rocky or sandy with very little nutrient in it.
Comments: As I said earlier I have several specimens that are clumping, but I thought a photograph of a single head epitomizes most people’s idea of the plant. This is not one of the most distinctive cacti in the world, although it is unusual and I find it has a charm of its own. However it is certainly one of the most talked about cacti and not only by cacti enthusiasts themselves. It has become famous, or perhaps a better word is notorious for its narcotic qualities when dried and eaten. In the past it was used by the Huichol of northern Mexico and also the Navajo in the southwestern United States. It is now banned from being grown in many parts of the world, but there are no such restrictions in England. It is also said that the narcotic properties of cultivated specimens are much weaker compared to those plants in habitat. Personally if I wanted to start seeing stars I would usually have a fall out with the missus or pick a fight with my six year old grandson.