Lophophora (John M. Coulter, 1894) is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of spineless, button-like
cactiA cactus is any member of the plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas. They are often used as ornamental plants, but some are also crop plants. Cacti are grown for protection of property from wild animals, as well as many other uses...
native to the southwestern
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
and
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
) through Northeast
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and South to
QuerétaroQuerétaro is a state in central México.Its capital is the city of Santiago de Querétaro, although in general parlance the name "Querétaro" is used for both the city and the state....
.
The species are extremely slow growing, sometimes taking up to thirty years to reach flowering age (at the size of about a golf ball, not including the root) in the wild. Cultivated specimens grow considerably faster, usually taking between three to ten years to reach from seedling to mature flowering adult.
Lophophora (John M. Coulter, 1894) is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of spineless, button-like
cactiA cactus is any member of the plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas. They are often used as ornamental plants, but some are also crop plants. Cacti are grown for protection of property from wild animals, as well as many other uses...
native to the southwestern
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
and
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
) through Northeast
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and South to
QuerétaroQuerétaro is a state in central México.Its capital is the city of Santiago de Querétaro, although in general parlance the name "Querétaro" is used for both the city and the state....
.
The species are extremely slow growing, sometimes taking up to thirty years to reach flowering age (at the size of about a golf ball, not including the root) in the wild. Cultivated specimens grow considerably faster, usually taking between three to ten years to reach from seedling to mature flowering adult. Due to this slow growth and over-harvesting by collectors, the species are considered to be in danger of extinction in the wild.
Species
Lophophora has been reported to comprise everything from one species,
L. williamsii with varieties, to the four species
L. diffusa,
L. fricii,
L. viridescens, and
L. williamsii. Most modern authorities consider
Lophophora to be a genus of two species,
L. diffusaLophophora diffusa is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitat is hot deserts.-Source:* Fitz Maurice, W.A. & Fitz Maurice, B. 2002. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
and
L. williamsii. Recent
DNA sequencingThe term DNA sequencing refers to sequencing methods for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
studies (Butterworth et al. 2002) have shown that
L. diffusa and
L. williamsii indeed are distinct species. DNA evidence from the alleged species
L. fricii and
L. viridescens would allow for more accurate classification.
Below is given a key for the currently accepted species along with the "species" and varieties that must be considered synonymous. Detailed arguments for this classification can be found in
Peyote: The Divine Cactus (Anderson 1996, pp. 210-219).
Lophophora diffusa (CroizatLeon Camille Marius Croizat was a French-Italian scholar and botanist who developed a synthesis of evolution of biological form over space, in time, which he named Panbiogeography.-Life:...
) Bravo 1967
The plants are yellow-green, usually lacking well-defined ribs and furrows. The
podariaA tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, but it has slightly different meaning depending on which family of plants or animals it is used to refer to....
are rarely elevated, but are broad and flat. The tufts of
hairTrichomes , are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants and certain protists. These are of diverse structure and function...
are usually spread unequally on the prominent podaria. The flowers are commonly whitish to yellowish-white.
L. diffusa occurs at the south end of the range of the genus in Querétaro state, Mexico.
L. diffusa contains zero to trace amounts of
mescalineMescaline or 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine is a naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid of the phenethylamine class. It is mainly used as an entheogen, and a tool to supplement various practices for transcendence, including in meditation, psychonautics, art projects, and psychedelic...
; pellotine is the principal
alkaloidAlkaloids are naturally occurring chemical compounds containing basic nitrogen atoms. The name derives from the word alkaline and was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base. Alkaloids are produced by a large variety of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals and are part of...
.
Several people have reported that this cactus is psychoactive if ingested, though the experience is not similar to peyote. This species looks almost identical to peyote, though it is legal to possess.
Synonyms
- Lophophora echinata var. diffusa Croizat
Leon Camille Marius Croizat was a French-Italian scholar and botanist who developed a synthesis of evolution of biological form over space, in time, which he named Panbiogeography.-Life:...
1944
- Lophophora williamsii var. diffusa (Croizat) Rowley 1979
- Lophophora diffusa var. koehresii Riha 1996, L. williamsii var. koehresii (Riha) Grym 1997
- Lophophora diffusa subsp. viridescens Halda 1997, L. viridescens (Halda) Halda 1997
Lophophora williamsii (Lemaire ex Salm-Dyck) J. M. Coulter
The plants are blue-green, usually with well-defined ribs and furrows. The tufts of
hairTrichomes , are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants and certain protists. These are of diverse structure and function...
are usually equally spaced on the ribs. The flowers are pinkish or rarely whitish.
L. williamsii occurs in the full range of the genus except in Querétaro state, Mexico.
The
mescalineMescaline or 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine is a naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid of the phenethylamine class. It is mainly used as an entheogen, and a tool to supplement various practices for transcendence, including in meditation, psychonautics, art projects, and psychedelic...
content in dried Lophophora williamsii "Peyote" can reach almost 7%.
Synonyms
- Echinocactus williamsii Lemaire ex Salm-Dyck 1845
- Lophophora lewinii (K. Schumann) Rusby 1894
- Lophophora echinata Croizat 1944
- Lophophora fricii Habermann 1974, L. williamsii var. fricii (Habermann) Grym 1997, L. diffusa subsp. fricii (Habermann) Halda 1997
- Lophophora jourdaniana Habermann 1975
One curious and under-reported observation is that these cacti have thigmotactic anthers. This means that as its anthers are touched they curl over, depositing their pollen. This movement can be seen by gently poking the anthers of an open Lophophora flower. Thus one of the slowest growing plants in the world makes one of the fastest plant movements!
Ethnobotany
- Lophophora williamsii, commonly known as peyote
Lophophora williamsii , better known by its common name Peyote, , is a small, spineless cactus. It is native to southwestern Texas and through central Mexico...
, is noted for its psychotropic alkaloids; see peyoteLophophora williamsii , better known by its common name Peyote, , is a small, spineless cactus. It is native to southwestern Texas and through central Mexico...
for further details.
- These alkaloids are absent or only found in extremely small amounts in the other species Lophophora diffusa
Lophophora diffusa is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitat is hot deserts.-Source:* Fitz Maurice, W.A. & Fitz Maurice, B. 2002. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
. While L. diffusa is known for having psychoactive effects, these effects are described not so much as "visionary", like peyoteLophophora williamsii , better known by its common name Peyote, , is a small, spineless cactus. It is native to southwestern Texas and through central Mexico...
, but rather a delirious highIntoxication is the state of being affected by one or more psychoactive drugs. It can also refer to the effects caused by the ingestion of poison or by the overconsumption of normally harmless substances.Some types of intoxication:*A mechanism of disease....
such as those associated with the use of DaturaDatura is a genus of nine species of vespertine flowering plants belonging to the family Solanaceae. Its precise and natural distribution is uncertain, owing to its extensive cultivation and naturalization throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the globe...
and Belladonna.
- The stem is used as a spiritual hallucinogen, and is applied topically as a galactogogue
A galactogogue is a substance which is used to increase the production of milk in humans and other animals. It may be synthetic, plant-derived, or endogenous....
, or lactationLactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands, the process of providing that milk to the young, and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process occurs in all female mammals, and in humans it is commonly referred to as breastfeeding or nursing...
aid .
Etymology
Lophophora means "crest-bearing", referring to the tufts of
trichomeTrichomes , are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants and certain protists. These are of diverse structure and function...
s that adorn each
tubercleA tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, but it has slightly different meaning depending on which family of plants or animals it is used to refer to....
. The name is derived from the two
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
words
λοφος (
lophos, the crest of a hill or helmet) and
φορεω (
phoreo, to carry).
External links