Lophophora fricii f. caespitosa
Lophophora fricii f. caespitosa is a freely offsetting form of the peyote relative Lophophora fricii, prized for the way it abandons the usual solitary habit and instead builds broad, multi-headed clumps of soft grey-green bodies. Where the typical species tends to grow as a single, slowly widening button, this clustering form pups eagerly from the base and areoles, in time forming a low mound of many crowns. Its care follows the parent species — see Lophophora — with only a few notes specific to clumping plants.
Description
Like all Lophophora, the individual heads are spineless, firm-fleshed and dusted with tufts of white wool at the areoles rather than spines. Bodies are a muted blue-grey to grey-green, flattened and gently domed, with broad low ribs and shallow grooves. The distinguishing trait of this form is its readiness to offset: rather than remaining solitary, plants divide and pup repeatedly, producing dense caespitose clumps that can eventually span a good deal wider than any single head. Pink flowers open from the woolly crown of mature heads.
Because the clumping habit is a growth characteristic rather than a stable genetic cultivar in the strict sense, the degree of offsetting varies from plant to plant, and some heads will always be more generous than others.
Cultivation
Care is as for the parent species; see Lophophora for full detail. In brief, grow in a very free-draining, mostly mineral mix, give bright light, and water only when the soil has dried completely, keeping the plant dry and cool through winter. Lophophora are famously slow and famously intolerant of a wet, airless root run, so err toward underwatering.
A few notes specific to the clustering form:
- Watering the crowns — a dense clump traps moisture between heads, so water at the soil rather than over the top, and give good airflow to prevent rot creeping between crowded bodies.
- Repotting — established clumps become heavy and awkward; handle gently at Repotting time, as heads can snap from the shared base.
- A slightly wider pot suits the spreading habit better than the snug pot often recommended for solitary buttons, though drainage still matters more than volume.
Propagation
The great advantage of this form is that it propagates vegetatively with ease. Offsets can be removed once they have a reasonable size, allowed to callus, and rooted as for any cactus pup — see Propagation — offsets and Propagation — cuttings. Plants can also be raised from seed like the species, and some growers graft heads onto a vigorous rootstock to speed up the notoriously slow early growth. Removed offsets that have not yet formed their own roots benefit from warmth and patience.
Legal status
Lophophora is a controlled genus in many jurisdictions. The whole cactus family is listed under CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade, and several countries and regions place additional restrictions on Lophophora because the genus includes peyote (Lophophora williamsii), a plant of long-standing cultural and ethnobotanical significance to Indigenous peoples of Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Lophophora fricii — and by extension this clustering form — contains comparatively little mescaline, but it is frequently caught by the same legal framework that governs peyote, because regulations tend to cover the genus as a whole or are applied without distinguishing between species. Growers should check the laws that apply where they live before acquiring, trading or transporting plants, as the rules vary widely from place to place. This article is a horticultural reference only and contains no information on preparation or use of any kind.
See also
- Lophophora — the genus overview and parent species
- Grafting · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Propagation — offsets · Propagation — cuttings
- CITES