Lophophora williamsii var. texana
Lophophora williamsii var. texana is a regional form of peyote representing plants from the northern, Texas end of the species' range. Sold in cultivation under the texana or texensis labels, it is usually described as flatter-bodied and more blue-grey than plants from further south, though it is a geographic form of the parent species rather than a distinct, formally accepted variety. Care follows the parent species, Lophophora williamsii.
Description
Plants grown under the texana label are small, spineless, button-like cacti with a soft, rounded body divided into low, broad ribs bearing tufts of white or greyish wool at the areoles. Compared with more southerly forms, Texas-range plants are often noted for a flatter growth habit and a cooler, blue-grey to glaucous skin tone, though these traits vary from plant to plant and overlap broadly with the species as a whole. Small pink flowers open from the woolly crown in the warmer months.
Because texana is a provenance label rather than a stable, distinct clone, the appearance of plants sold this way is not perfectly uniform. Treat it as a member of the natural variation within Lophophora williamsii rather than a fixed cultivar.
Cultivation
Cultivation is as for the parent species; see Lophophora williamsii for full detail. In short, grow it in a very free-draining, mostly mineral mix, give it bright light, and water thoroughly only once the soil has dried completely, keeping the plant dry and cool through winter. Like all Lophophora, it is naturally slow-growing and resents overwatering, which is the most common cause of loss.
Slow seedlings are sometimes grafted onto a faster rootstock to speed them along, then grown on their own roots later. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
Legal status
Peyote — including Texas-provenance plants sold as texana or texensis — is a controlled substance in the United States, listed under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act because it contains the psychoactive alkaloid mescaline. A long-standing federal exemption permits the sacramental use of peyote by the Native American Church; outside that context, cultivation and possession are generally restricted. Legal wild harvest for religious use is concentrated in a limited region of southern Texas, where wild populations have declined from over-harvesting and habitat loss.
Like the whole cactus family, Lophophora is also listed under CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade. Laws differ significantly between countries and between US states, so growers should check the rules that apply to them.
This article is a horticultural reference only. It contains no information on consumption, preparation, or extraction, and none should be inferred from it.
See also
- Lophophora williamsii — the parent species
- Lophophora — the genus overview
- Grafting · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting