Peyote cactus

Seeds: 20  / Botanical name: Lophophora williamsii

The favorite cactus of Aztec shamans

The 8 to 15 centimeter tall, slow-growing peyote is a small, soft-fleshed cactus without spines and with a hemispherical shape. From spring to summer, it displays small pink flowers. It is famous, or rather infamous, for its high content of more than 50 alkaloids, the most well-known of which is the psychoactive substance mescaline, capable of producing hallucinogenic states and sensory distortions. Before the Spanish conquest of Mexico, peyote held great significance in the religious practices of the Mexican inhabitants. Ironically, during the course of Christianization, it was increasingly replaced by another drug, the agave spirit tequila.

Natural habitat: Peyote's natural habitat is in northern Mexico and the American state of Texas.