Scientific name: Lophophora williamsii
Synonym: Ariocarpus williamsii, Echinocactus lewinii, Echinocactus williamsii, Lophophora texana, Peyoti zacatensis
Family: CACTACEAE
Common names: “Peyote”
Plant Type: Evergreen succulent spineless cactus
Conditions:
Zone: 10-11
Light: Full sun
Exposure: Sheltered from cold, exposed to heat and sun
Soil: Alkaline cactus mix with additional perlite, or make a perlite pete potting soil mix at the ratio of 5-1-1, can substitute perlite with pumice or washed sand, another soil mix recipe is 1/4 chip gravel, 1/4 chip limestone screenings, 1 mid ph pumice,1 perlite, and 1 & 1/2 earth worm casings
Moisture: Well drained – dry, do not water frequently, once a month is more than enough, light misting or wetting the exterior or a pete pot (if growing in a pete pot), no dousing or soaking
Aesthetic:
Plant Size: 1-4″ H & W
Leaf and Stem shape: Grow in little button shaped domes with fuzzy bits on top
Flower: Pink-white aster-like flowers, single or in small clusters from the button centres
Maintenance: Medium – low, keep it dry in full sun as much as possible, and avoid exposure to low temperatures, keep indoors over winter, give less water in the summer and winter dormancy’s, may require a low nitrogen high phosphorus fertilizer
Landscape use: Container, indoor plant, cactus garden
Propagate: By seed, cuttings and grafting
Pests & Disease: Problems associated with cold + damp conditions maybe an issue, red spider mites, mealybugs
Comments: Native to the deserts of Texas and Mexico, used by indigenous people of America for medicinal and spiritual purposes, the illegal drug mescaline can be harvested from mature buttons
Cultivars: L. diffusa – yellow flower, southern spp. less tolerant of wet cold
L. w. var. caespitosa – forms large clumps with many buttons,
Vancouver Island Grows 