Peyote | |
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Peyote in the wild | |
Vulnerable (NatureServe) |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Core eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Cactaceae |
Genus: | Lophophora |
Species: | L. williamsii |
Binomial name | |
Lophophora williamsii (Lem.) J.M.Coult. |
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Synonyms | |
Echinocactus williamsii Lemaire ex Salm-Dyck |
Echinocactus williamsii Lemaire ex Salm-Dyck
Lophophora lewinii (K. Schumann) Rusby
Lophophora echinata Croizat
Lophophora fricii Habermann
L. williamsii var. fricii (Habermann) Grym
L. diffusa subsp. fricii (Habermann) Halda
Lophophora jourdaniana Haberman
Lophophora williamsii /loʊˈfɒfərə wɪlˈjæmsiaɪ/ or peyote (/pəˈjoʊti/) is a small, spineless cactus with psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. The English common name peyote comes from the like-spelled Spanish name, which in turn comes from the Nahuatl name peyōtl [ˈpejoːt͡ɬ], said to be derived from a root meaning "glisten" or "glistening". Other sources translate the Nahuatl word as "Divine Messenger". Native North Americans are likely to have used peyote, often for spiritual purposes, for at least 5,500 years.
Peyote is native to Mexico and southwestern Texas. It is found primarily in the Chihuahuan Desert and in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí among scrub, especially where there is limestone.