Peyote - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a cactus containing the hallucinogen mescaline (2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)ethanamine). It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, but is cultivated all over the world. The peyote cactus is a flowering plant of the family Cactaceae, a group of fleshy spiny plants found primarily in dry climates. Spines are present only in very young seedlings. The cactus areole, the area on the stem that usually produces flowers and spines, is well pronounced in peyote and is identified by a tuft of hairs or trichomes. Flowers arise from within the center of the plant. The cactus grows slowly and produces flowers sporadically; these are followed by small edible bitter-tasting pink fruits that contain black seeds. In the wild, it takes up to 30 years to grow to the size of a golf ball and produce its first flowers. Cultivated plants grow considerably faster, taking less than 3 years to mature from a seedling to a flowering adult. The top of the c

Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a cactus containing the hallucinogen mescaline (2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)ethanamine). It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, but is cultivated all over the world. The peyote cactus is a flowering plant of the family Cactaceae, a group of fleshy spiny plants found primarily in dry climates. Spines are present only in very young seedlings. The cactus areole, the area on the stem that usually produces flowers and spines, is well pronounced in peyote and is identified by a tuft of hairs or trichomes. Flowers arise from within the cent