Peyote 2 to 3 cm: Lophophora williamsii for indoors
Lophophora williamsii is a small, spineless cactus from northern Mexico and southern Texas. Instead of spines its areoles carry soft grey tufts of wool up to a centimetre long, spread across a round, blue-green head with a waxy bloom. This specimen is 2 to 3 centimetres wide, the size at which the rib pattern reads clearly: broad, rounded and cut by transverse furrows into polyhedral tubercles. A mature plant reaches about six centimetres in height and twelve across, with a woolly crown. Most of it sits below ground, since the species forms a thick taproot that can run deeper than 25 centimetres. A windowsill or a greenhouse suits it well, as long as the pot is deep enough.
Its natural range lies in northern Mexico and southern Texas, in the basin of the Rio Grande, on limey soils and stony slopes from the lowlands up to nearly 1,900 metres. Out there the heads press themselves against the ground, half hidden among gravel and dry grass. Collectors have thinned those sites badly, which is why the material in the trade, this plant included, comes from nurseries.
Care
- Light matters, direct midday glare does not: a few hours of morning sun with bright indirect light for the rest of the day works very well.
- Plant it in something that dries out fast, say two parts coarse sand or pumice to one part cactus soil. Wet feet are fatal to that thick root.
- From April to September water only a pot that has dried out completely. If the head shrinks slightly and goes duller in between, that is exactly right.
- Between October and March it gets no water at all and may stand considerably cooler. A brief touch of frost down to about minus seven degrees is survivable dry, but not damp.
From 2-3 cm onwards
Do not expect quick changes: a couple of centimetres takes this species years, and that slow creep is part of the deal. On nursery plants the first flowers tend to arrive in the sixth to tenth year after the seed went in. They are little bells of one and a half to two and a half centimetres, pink and sometimes nearly white, opening at intervals through summer and followed by a red club-shaped fruit of two centimetres at most. Repot in spring into something deep, and leave the pot dry for a week afterwards.
Which size suits you
If you want the whole slow haul from the start, the 1 to 2 cm peyote is the way in. This 2 to 3 cm plant is a year or so further along and rather less touchy about watering. If you would rather have presence straight away, look at the 4-5 cm, 5-7 cm or 7-10 cm plants, or at a multi-headed cluster.
Shipping and local law
We sell this plant as an ornamental, and what is allowed with it differs by country: look that up before you order. We do not deliver outside Europe, and a number of European countries are off the list as well. The basket will tell you at checkout whether your address qualifies. Every parcel leaves in neutral, discreet packaging.
More species are listed under Lophophora, including Lophophora fricii and Lophophora decipiens, while the other cacti include the San Pedro, the Peruvian Torch and the Bolivian Torch.
