General differences between the lophophore cactus, agricultural technology when growing in room conditions, breeding methods, difficulties in cultivation, facts to note, species. Lophophora is a specimen from the vast and ancient Cactaceae family. For the first time, the name of this exotic plant was mentioned in 1894, although before that the name - Anhalonium was used as a scientific term for the lophophore cactus, then, already in 1922, in the monograph of scientists Britton and Rose, engaged in the classification and description of cacti. This plant is found in the territory ranging from the Texas lands in the United States to the northern Mexican states, up to Queretaro. These cacti love to settle on the slopes of the limestone rocks, under the shelter of low-altitude shrubs, while climbing to a height of 200 to 2000 meters above sea level. According to various sources, only 4 varieties are included in this genus, but other sources claim that there is only one.
The plant owes its name to the combination of words in the ancient Greek dialect - "lopho (s)" and "phora" translated as "comb or sultan" and "carrier", respectively. This reflects the general appearance of this representative of the flora of the hot regions of the planet. There is also another name - Peyote.
If we describe all the varieties that belong to this genus of cactus, then all plants can have spherical stems, with some flattening and a smooth surface. The height of the Lofofora cactus reaches only 3–7 cm, despite the fact that its diameter is approximately 15 cm. There is a velvety-looking epidermis, with a dull gray or bluish-gray color scheme. The root has massive turnip-like outlines and there are numerous plump shoots, which in diameter can be comparable to the diameter of the cactus itself, even taking into account all the "children" and, moreover, its length is many times greater than the height of the plant.
The ribs are in the range of 6–10 units, they have a slight bulge, but rather wide, this is especially noticeable in the area of the areoles, they are separated by thin but clear grooves. On the ribs themselves, grooves are also clearly visible, located transversely, which form tubercles with soft outlines. Areoles are large in size, with whitish pubescence, they are located in the upper part of the stem and far enough from each other, whole bundles of white or gray wool grow in them. But this cactus is practically devoid of thorns. The top of an adult specimen of the lophophore cactus looks especially covered with "fur", since it is on it that the lobes of young segments of the stem thicken, growing on top of each other.
In the spring, flower buds begin to form, which are located on the top of the cactus. And already in the summer months, when flowering, buds appear with white, yellow or gently pink petals. The shape of the flower is funnel-shaped, they open quite wide, are devoid of pedicels - sessile, originate near the point of growth, do not exceed 2-3 cm in diameter. Flowers are semi-double with a large number of petals.
The resulting fruits are cast in a pale pink color, their contours are oblong. The fruit is 1 cm long and contains several seeds that are black and have a smooth, shiny surface. Full maturation occurs 9–12 months after the flowering period.
Creation of conditions for the cultivation of lophophore cactus, care
- Lighting. Although the cactus is a resident of hot territories, it loves to grow in the shade of shrubs, therefore, windows of an eastern or western location are suitable for it. In direct sunlight, its surface will turn red.
- Temperature when caring for a lophophore, it should be moderate, but an indicator of 40 degrees will not kill a cactus. With the arrival of autumn, it is recommended to lower the temperature to 10 degrees, but at the same time maintain high illumination.
- Watering cactus depends on the state of the soil in the pot, heat indicators and the annual period. In summer, moistening is carried out 1-2 days after the soil is all dry. From the end of September to March, watering stops altogether.
- Air humidity does not matter for lofofor.
- Fertilizers used for cacti only once a month during the period of vegetative activation.
- Transplantation and selection of a substrate for lophophore. When the cactus specimen is still young, the pot and the soil in it are changed annually in the spring months, but for adult plants such operations are carried out as needed, when the rhizome becomes cramped in the old container. When the peyote is transplanted, it is recommended that the root system be trimmed, but only 1/4 of the total size is removed. Slices for the prevention of rotting are sprinkled with crushed charcoal or activated carbon and then dried. After that, you can plant it in a new pot. Since the size of the root of the lophophore is impressive, then the capacity is selected with sufficient depth. A drainage layer is laid on the bottom.
The substrate should be loose and able to allow air and water to pass to the roots. You can use ready-made soil mixtures for cacti with neutral acidity. The soil is made up of nutrient earth, loosening additives (in a ratio of 1/3: 2/3). Such additives can be a mixture of sod soil, broken brick (chips) and perlite in a ratio of 1: 1: 2. It is also recommended to add bone meal to the composition.
After transplanting, the surface of the substrate is covered with fine gravel so that it covers the root collar of the cactus.
Steps for self-propagation of the lophophore cactus
To get a new peyote plant, you can sow its seed or use the side shoots that some varieties develop.
Seed propagation is mainly used. You can sow seeds at any time of the year. A sterilized soil mixture is poured into a shallow container, which consists of flower soil and washed river coarse-grain sand in a ratio of 3: 1. The substrate is compacted a little. The seeds must be freshly harvested, they are removed from the fruit and cleaned from the remnants of the pulp. Germination in this case can be up to 80%. Seed material should be evenly distributed on the surface of the substrate (1–2 pairs of seeds should be per 1 square centimeter). The seeds are slightly pressed into the soil, and sprinkled on top of them with a small layer of very fine gravel. The container is placed in water for 20-25 minutes so that the substrate is saturated with moisture. Then the container should be placed in a large plastic container or wrapped in plastic wrap - this will create conditions for a mini-greenhouse with high humidity, and will also prevent insects from penetrating the seeds.
Seeds should be germinated along with bright lighting where there will be at least 10-12 hours of daylight per day, and it is also recommended to maintain heat readings within 20-30 degrees. Ventilation should also be carried out, if necessary, to moisten the soil in the container. After 1, 5-2 weeks, you can enjoy the first shoots of the lophophore cactus. As soon as the young plants grow up and get stronger (and this is not earlier than in 1–1, 5 months), then you can proceed to their transplantation. Also, good results are obtained by vegetative propagation through lateral shoots. The “babies” are carefully separated from the mother cactus and placed in a container on the perlite laid in it and kept at low heat, as if the cactus was sent for wintering. By the spring days, powerful root shoots are formed on the shoot and the plant can be transplanted.
Lophophore pest and disease control methods
The plant is quite resistant to parasites and diseases, so the main problems arise due to violation of the rules for caring for the lophophore cactus. Often, novice cactus growers experience experiences because of the "stagnation", so to speak, of the plant - as if it had completely stopped growing. However, it should be noted that this representative of the cactus family has a very low growth rate, since it adds only 0.5-1 cm per year.
Lofofor facts to note
The Lofofor cactus has a rather ancient history, it was well known for a long time to the Indians, who called the plant - "peyote". Due to the fact that the pulp of this cactus contains a substance called mescaline and others, which are alkaloids that have a strong effect on the human nervous system, therefore this cactus was used in religious rituals, as well as surgical interventions.
The pulp of the plant has a very bitter and even sickening taste, but the Indians thought that something supernatural was present in the lophophore. According to the old beliefs that these peoples had, the cactus was identified with the divine principle, namely, it contained the god Yukili, who was reincarnated as a representative of the flora. In order to fully experience the unity with their deity and to be more closely connected with him, the Indians ate a particle of pulp (a piece of the "body" of the god). Euphoria came, which brought with it a joyful and elated state of mind, images and visions that did not occur in the real world flashed before my eyes, which often even accompanied visual and auditory hallucinations. If the Indian was injured, then there was a rule that it was necessary to chew the pulp of the lophophore and apply it to the wound, as if the pain was relieved by hand.
In the writings of K. Castaneda there are descriptions of rituals with the use of "divine cactus". Due to the strong influence on humans in the United States, California, Russia and many other countries, the cultivation and storage of this representative of the flora is prohibited by law. On the territory of America since the mid-1970s, and according to Russian legislation, which came into force in 2004, if more than two units of lophophore are grown, then this bears criminal responsibility (Article 231 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Before the introduction of such a ban, the miracle cactus was often found in the collections of gardeners who like these plants and was its real decoration.
Types of lophophore cactus
- Lophophora Williams (Lophophora Williamsii) has a stem equal in height to 7 cm with a diameter of about 8–12 cm. The flower petals are colored white-pink. The form of the plant can be multi-ribbed, with five ribs, bushy, deceiving and comb-like. But according to general characteristics, this is a plant with flattened spherical contours, which has smoothed edges, they are devoid of thorns. Areoles can be either completely naked or have dense pubescence, due to which a carpet of wool forms over the cactus. In the summer, flowering occurs several times. Flowers that form on a small cactus and they crown the top of the stem, the flowering period continues throughout the humid season in the historical homeland of the plant. They do not exceed 2–3 cm in diameter. The fruits contain large seeds of black color, including 5–12 units. The fruits are small berries of an elongated red color. They are formed from the woolen "crown" of the cactus throughout the summer period. The root has a turnip shape and can usually reach 10–15 cm in length; it has an interesting property when the dry season begins, to shrink and draw into the substrate almost the entire above-ground stem. Under natural conditions, it is found in Mexico, in its northeastern part, as well as in areas of Texas.
- Lophophora Williams Peyote (Lophophora Williamsii Peyote) has a small size and a squat outlines of the stem, the surface casts a dull brown color. The size is about 10 cm in height, but the diameter does not exceed 7 cm. The ribs are flat and wide, there are usually eight of them, they are separated by thin grooves into large smooth tubercles. There are several areoles devoid of needles, which are located at the apex of the stem. They very much resemble a mushroom in their outlines. The flower petals are pale pink, the flowers reach 1.5 cm in diameter, and crown the center of the top of the cactus. The fruits have an oblong shape, their color is pale pinkish, the length does not exceed 1 cm, they contain several seeds that appear after 9-10 months after the end of flowering.
- Lophophora Fricii has a 12-centimeter stem in diameter with a height of about 8 cm. The ribs, including 14 units, are arranged in a spiral manner. The petals of the flowers are cast in a carmine-red color scheme.
- Lophophora spreading (Lophophora diffusa) also bears the name Lophophora diffuse or Lophophora vague. The stem of this variety can grow up to 13-15 cm in diameter with a height equal to 8 cm, its shape is spherical, there is a slight flattening. The color of the stem is yellow-green, it has 10-15 ribs, with wide and flat outlines, they are separated by thin grooves running across into large and smooth tubercles. Petals in buds of yellowish-white or snow-white color. The flower reaches 2 cm in diameter, its petals are slate and elongated. The cactus has a root that does not exceed 10 cm in length, thick, turnip. Seeds with black color, their surface is bumpy. This species settles in Texas, where it likes to grow in the shade of dense bush thickets.
- Lophophora Jourdaniana boasts a stem reaching 6 cm in height and 7 cm in diameter. The surface of the stem is decorated with 14 spirally placed ribs. The color of the petals is reddish purple.
- Lophophora yellow (Lophophora lutea) can be found under the name Lophophora lutea. The stem of this variety can reach 10 cm in diameter. Its color is yellowish-green with a brown or gray tint. There are practically no ribs, and the tubercles with diamond-shaped contours on the stem are arranged in a spiral order. Areoles have slight pubescence. Opening flowers with light yellow or yellowish-whitish petals, their diameter is 3 cm.
- Lophophora hedgehog (Lophophora echinata). The stem has a bluish-green tint, its shape is spherical with a slight flattening. The diameter of the stem does not exceed 12 cm. This cactus occasionally has lateral shoots. On the stem, there are up to 10 ribs, which are made up of tubercles with 5–6 edges, reaching 3 cm in height. Woolly bunches grow in the areoles. The distance between the areoles is significant. The diameter of the flowers rarely exceeds 2 cm, the color of their petals is white. Ripening fruits of light pink color.
- Lophophora green (Lophophora viridescens). The stem is decorated with numerous ribs along its entire length. The color of the stem itself is dark green, the shape is spherical, reaching 20 cm in diameter. The flowers are not more than 2 cm across, their petals are snow-white. The native territories of growth fall on lands in the rocky Mexican deserts.
- Lophophora mescaline (Lophophora mescaline). The stalk is fleshy, the dimensions are 10 cm in height with a diameter of no more than 8 cm. The top of the cactus is distinguished by its roundness, the color is gray-green. The entire stem is covered with tufts of whitish hairs originating from the areoles. The root is similar to the outline of a carrot - long and thick.
What a lophophore cactus looks like and how to care for it, see below:
