Flowering Peyote

Hi there! Here's another post about another flowering cactus. This time, I'm talking about one of my Peyotes, that has unexpectedly surprised me with a very small, white-pinkish flower. This is my first flowering Peyote. I've bought this plant back in 2014 from "Danny de Cactus", a shop in Rotterdam. 

 

Flowering Peyote (Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa)



It's a Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa(caespitosa means growing in clusters). In my opinion, this is not a variety, but a form. Let's say that I'm not yet convinced it is a variety. I've bought and sown some L. williamsii var. caespitosa seeds in 2012 and If they'll all (or at least a couple of them) grow clusters in the near future, I'll accept that it is a variety and not a form.

 

Lophophora williamsii's natural habitat stretches out from the state Texas (USA) to San Luis Potosi (Mexico). It's a spineless cactus that mainly grows solitary, but sometimes grow clusters (like the one I'm showing you right here). This plant has a worldwide reputation for being a strong psychedelic hallucinogen. Like I've mentioned in some of my previous posts, this plant is used during shamanistic rituals by some Native American tribes.

 

I'm not going to write a complete essay on this plant, because there is already soo much info online on this little friend (CHECK).

 

 

Flowering Peyote (Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa)



I own this plant for only two years and to understand how small the flower is, you should know that this plant has a diameter of only 5 cm. Although the flower is a bit crooked, I'm still glad to see that my "work" is paying off. I can't wait to have more Peyotes flowering at the same time so that I can try some pollination!

 

That's it for today. Meanwhile, two other plants are flowering; one Rhipsalis elliptica and (again) my Copiapoa hypogaea var. barquitensis. The latter only has two flowers at the moment. It's actually flowering throughout all summer, but not as abundant as in June (see one of my previous posts HERE). I'm not sure if I'll be able to show you more flowering plants this year, so there's a big chance my next blog will be about Bock beer, whisky and/or pipes. Take care!