Lophophora williamsii 'Caespitosa Cristata'
Lophophora williamsii 'Caespitosa Cristata is a rare, slow-growing cultivar of peyote that combines two unusual growth habits at once: the caespitosa (clustering) tendency to pup freely from the base, and the cristata (crested, or fasciate) tendency for the growing point to fan out into a wavy, brain-like ridge. The result is a strikingly complex plant in which one or more crested fans sit above a low mound of offsets, no two specimens ever quite alike. Care follows that of the parent species, Lophophora williamsii.
Description
Where a typical peyote is a solitary, button-shaped blue-green disc, this cultivar breaks both of those defaults. The crest arises when the plant's single growing point stretches into a line, so the body thickens into a fan or convoluted ridge of soft, ribless tissue dusted with the same woolly tufts found in the areoles of the species. The caespitose habit then adds a cluster of offsets — pups — around and below the crest, so a mature plant reads as a fan-and-mound of overlapping folds rather than a single button.
Like the species, the plant is spineless, firm and muted grey-green to blue-green, with woolly white areoles rather than spines. Crested tissue often reverts in places to normal button-like growth, and a plant may carry crested, clustering and normal sectors all at once. Flowers, when they appear, are small and pink and emerge from the woolly crown, as in ordinary Lophophora williamsii.
Cultivation
Cultivation is as for the parent species — see Lophophora williamsii for the full account. In short: a very free-draining, mostly mineral mix, bright light, thorough watering only once the soil has dried completely, and a dry, cool winter rest. Peyote is naturally very slow, and crested clustering forms are slower still.
A few notes specific to this cultivar:
- Own roots vs. grafting — because seedling and crested growth is so slow, crested and clustering Lophophora are frequently grafted onto a vigorous columnar rootstock (such as Myrtillocactus or Trichocereus) to bulk them up, then sometimes de-grafted onto their own roots later. Grafted plants grow far faster but need the same careful watering.
- Crest care — the folded crest traps water and debris, so water at the soil rather than over the crown, and give good air movement to prevent rot settling in the crevices.
- Light — steady bright light helps keep the crest compact and the body firm; too little light causes soft, pale, etiolated growth that spoils the fan.
- Propagation — the clustering habit means offsets can be removed, callused and rooted much as with other offsets, and crested sectors can be propagated vegetatively; crested traits do not come true from seed.
Legal status
Lophophora williamsii and its cultivars — including this crested clustering form — contain the same naturally occurring alkaloids as the wild species and are controlled accordingly. In the United States peyote is a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, and the living plant itself is regulated; growers should be aware that possession and cultivation may be restricted or prohibited depending on jurisdiction. Like nearly all cacti, Lophophora is also listed under CITES Appendix II, which governs international trade. Laws vary widely between countries and between states or regions, so anyone keeping this plant should check the rules that apply where they live. This entry is horticultural reference only and describes cultivation of an ornamental plant; it is not legal advice.
See also
- Lophophora williamsii — the parent species
- Lophophora — the genus overview
- Grafting · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Propagation - offsets · Repotting