Welcome to my peyote garden.
There are lots of sacred cacti species, but those cacti are not peyote. Even false peyote which share the same squat physique as lophophora don’t possess the charm or beauty of these desert dwellers. Their characteristic lazy looking ribs adorned with fluff, the subtle purple hues of their flesh, and beautiful pink flowers truly elevate these plants to a class all their own.
These amazing plants are not without controversy. Not only have they been outlawed in much of their native habitat, their very existence has been threatened to the point that they are deemed a vulnerable species. Peyote are also known to contain substances banned in many countries, and even appear in the Canada Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Schedule III, Section 17
Mescaline (3,4,5–trimethoxybenzeneethanamine) and any salt thereof, but not peyote (lophophora)
How could such an innocent and unassuming looking plant cause so much trouble? Peyote’s reputation has not been aided by misrepresentation in television and media. Take this quote from the popular film Zoolander:
So I’m rappelling down Mount Vesuvius when suddenly I slip, and I start to fall. Just falling, ahh, ahh. I’ll never forget the terror. When suddenly I realize, “Holy shit, Hansel, haven’t you been smoking peyote for six straight days and couldn’t some of this maybe be in your mind?”
Perhaps the mystique surrounding these plants only lends itself to their allure. Given the scarcity of these cacti and their harsh remote environment most people don’t get to experience the charm of these plants first hand.
Hopefully this topic can help lift the veil of confusion surrounding this wonderful species and showcase their beauty.
Have you ever seen a peyote fruit before? They’re sweet and tasty but there isn’t much to savour given their size. This fruit grew from a self-pollenated flower confirming it as a true Lophophora Williamsii.
If your identical twin began to burst out of your neck tomorrow morning what do you think you would say to them once they had emerged? You might be initially furious, then again you might both decide to make killer shadow puppets for the remainder of the afternoon.
This cactus was growing long for a while and looked really smooth where the pup emerged. I figured it was just etoliation until this beast came tearing through the areole.
This next addition is as much testament to the hardiness of these amazing plants as it is embarassing. Behold- I found this long forgotten cactus yesterday covered in cobwebs on a windowsill in the basement. This peyote has not been watered in at least three years, it must have survived off of sunlight and ambient dank. The flesh is surprisingly firm for such an emaciated looking cactus. Some people boast that their plants are ‘hard grown’ but this one is a true survivor. With a little bit of water and love it should have the eye of the tiger in no time.
sitting in a window. Wife could put it next to her air plants those are some weird little plants.id name it pete lol