| Ariocarpus fissuratus | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Genus: | Ariocarpus |
| Species: | A. fissuratus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ariocarpus fissuratus (Engelm.) K.Schum. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Mammillaria fissurata Engelm. |
|
Ariocarpus fissuratus is a species of cactus found in small numbers in northern Mexico and Texas in the United States. Common names include living rock cactus, false peyote, and chautle.[1]
Contents |
This cactus consist of many small tubercles growing from a large tap root. They are usually solitary, rarely giving rise to side shoots from old areoles. The plant is greyish-green in color, sometimes taking on a yellowish tint with age. Its growth rate is extremely slow. A. fissuratus is naturally camouflaged in its habitat, making it difficult to spot. When they are found, it is usually due to their pinkish flowers.
In cultivation, Ariocarpus fissuratus is often grafted to a faster growing columnar cactus to speed growth, as they would generally take at least a decade to reach maturity on their own. They require very little water and fertilizer, a good amount of light, and a loose sandy soil with good drainage.
Ariocarpus fissuratus is a unique species in that is has been used by Native American tribes as a mind altering substance, usually only as a substitute for peyote.[2] While it does not contain mescaline like many other North American cactus species (such as Lophophora williamsii or Peyote), it has been found to contain other mind altering substances, such as N-methyltyramine and hordenine,[2] albeit in doses too small to be active.
Ratsch, C. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmocology and its Applications, Vermont: Park Street Press. ISBN 0-89281-978-2