ETHNOBOTANICAL CACTUS PAGE 2

Neoraimondia 'Big Bed of Straw'

Neoraimondia arequipensis

Basically clumping cactus reaches at least 12' tall, native to Peru, full sun, hardy to 0°C (32° F), zone 9b-11.

Neoraimondia roseiflora
[syn. Neoraimondia arequipensis ssp. roseiflorus]

[Lurin Valley, Peru]

Contains: 3-4-dimethoxyphenethylamine, 4-hydroxy-3-5-dimethoxyphenethylamine.

NOT IN STOCK!

Neowerdermannia

Spherical cactus to about 4″ diameter with dark green triangular tubercles. Curved spines, lilac-pink flowers and reddish fruit. Distributed from the altiplano of Bolivia to northern Argentina, from 10,000–13,000′+. The whole plant is considered a kind of potato, and is gathered by the tens of thousands each summer, skinned, cooked and eaten. It is said to be very tasty and is a rich source of vitamin K, calcium and zinc. The pulp is also a remedy for stomach ailments and made into a drink for kidney and liver disease. 
Worth trying as an exotic vegetable. Needs strong light and gritty soil. Z7a or below.

Seeds Coming soon!

Neowerdermannia vorwerkii JS 351
[La Paz,Bolivia]

NOT IN STOCK!


Obregonia 'Artichoke Cactus'


Obregonia denegrii

Obregonia is among the most famous of all cacti for is unique artichoke-shaped stem; it is the only representative of its monospecific genus and is related to Ariocarpus, it grows almost always as a solitary plant levelled with the ground, with the sunk and woolly apex, it is considered an intermediate form between Ariocarpus and Lophophora, native to Mexico (Tamaulipas: Ciudad Victoria). This slow growing plant isn't always the easiest species to cultivate, but can enlarge relatively fast when well grown, it is often seen as a grafted plant but grows very well on its own roots too, needs a very well drained mineral substratum with little organic matter (peat, humus), requires light sun to develop good compact growth, watering should be rather infrequent, keep dry in winter, It is hardy to -4°C (or less) only for a short periods, in the rest period avoid high atmospheric humidity, good ventilation is essential.

Sacred to several Mexican Indians tribes.

Contains: horenine (.002%), tyramine (.003%), N-methyltyramine (.0002%).

NOT IN STOCK!

Obregonia denegrii

Obregonia denegri RS 600

[San Vincente Tam]

NOT IN STOCK!

Obregonia denegrii SSK 240B
[San Antonio, Tampico]

1cm plants available soon.

Opuntia

Opuntia acanthocarpa

‘Buckhorn Cholla ‘

[syn. Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa]

Native to California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, shrubby or even treelike to 4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m), flowers are commonly red to yellow, hardy to Zone 9a or lower.

Early spring was called ko’oak macat (the painful moon) by the Tohono O’odham because of scarce food supplies, during this season, they turned to cacti for food and pit-roasted thousands of calcium-rich cholla flower buds, the  O’odham people still pit-roast or boil the cholla buds, which are said taste like asparagus tips.

[mescaline, 3-4-dimethoxyphenethylamine, 4-hydroxy-3-5-dimethoxyphenethylamine]

Opuntia acanthocarpa 17 Meadview, Az

spiny bushes, silvery spines.

Plants wont be available as I have killed them, they really don't like the high humidity of the polytunnel, but I will try again in the spring.

NOT IN STOCK!

Opuntia acanthocarpa 17 Meadview, Az

Opuntia basilaris

'Beavertail Cactus'

Native to the South-western United States, occurring mostly in the Mojave Desert, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and Colorado Deserts, and also in the Colorado Plateau and northwest Mexico, The Beavertail Cactus is a medium-sized to small prickly pear cactus, depending on variety, growing to about 60 cm tall. A single plant may consist of hundreds of fleshy, flattened pads. These are more or less blue-grey, depending on variety, growing to a length of 14 cm and are maximum 10 cm wide and 1 to 1.5 cm thick, they are typically spineless, but have instead many small barbed bristles, called glochids, that can penetrate the skin, the pink to rose coloured flowers are most common; however, a rare variety of white and even yellow flowers also exist, blooming from spring to early summer. Hardy through zones 5-10 (dry!).

[mescaline (.01%), 4-hydroxy-3-5-dimethoxyphenethylamine]

Opuntia basilaris

Opuntia basilaris SB1976

Plants wont be available as I have killed them, they really don't like the high humidity of the polytunnel, but I will try again in the spring.

NOT IN STOCK!

Opuntia basilaris var. brachyclada

[St. Gabriel Mts, CA]

Coming soon!

Opuntia clavata 'Club Cholla'

[syn. Grusonia clavata]

The species grows on grasslands and sandy soils, and in xerophyllous scrub and juniper forest. It can often tolerate temperatures as low as -23°C and remains snow covered for weeks at a time. The are yellow flowers and the fruit are edible and quite sweet. 

Opuntia clavata 12553.15 

[Socorro Co., NM, 4900ft, 1494m (ALPLAINS)]

Coming soon!

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa MUG167 1600m

[syn. Opuntia echinocarpa]

‘Silver Cholla’

Native to the South-western United States and North-western Mexico, where it can be found the Sonoran Desert, the Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert in California and other states, a large, treelike cactus known to exceed 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height, the flower s are usually greenish yellow, sometimes pinkish or brownish in colour, the is a bumpy, spiny tan fruit is up to 2cm long and has a scent reminiscent of rancid butter.

[mescaline (.01%), 3-4-dimethoxyphenethylamine (.01%), 4-hydroxy-3-5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (.01%]

NOT IN STOCK!

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa MUG167 1600m

Opuntia ficus indica

‘Prickly Pear’

A domesticated crop plant important in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world, it is thought to possibly be native to Mexico, the fruit contains vitamin C and was one of the early cures for scurvy, Mexicans have used Opuntia for thousands of years to make an alcoholic drink called colonche.

[mescaline, tyramine, N-methyltyramine]

NOT IN STOCK!

Opuntia ficus indica

Opuntia fragilis 

'Brittle Pricklypear'

The fruit can be eaten raw, cooked or dried for later use. Said to be sweet and gelatinous. The unripe fruits can be added to soups, imparting an okra-like mucilaginous quality. Be careful of the plants irritant hairs. The pads can be cooked or raw, they are watery and very mucilaginous. The Seed can be briefly roasted then ground into a powder.

The flesh of the leaf pads is diuretic, and a poultice of the flesh has been used to treat skin sores and infections.

Opuntia fragilis SB1413

[Duel Co. Nevada]

NOT IN STOCK!

Opuntia imbricata

'Cane Cholla'

[syn. Cylindropuntia imbricata]

Native to South-western United States and northern Mexico, including some cooler regions in comparison to many other cacti, it occurs primarily in arid regions but can also be found scattered across locations in the semi-arid High Plains of the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico. It is often conspicuous because of its shrubby or even tree-like size, its silhouette, and its long-lasting yellowish fruits, hardy to zone 5, if dry.

The plants are sometimes grown as ornamentals, the dead stems decay to leave a hollow wooden tube with a pattern of lengthwise slits, and these are sometimes used as canes or to make curios. The Roman Catholic Penitentes of New Mexico formerly tied fresh stems to their bare backs in Holy Week processions; the Zuni people use the imbricata variety ceremonially.

Contains mescaline 

Opuntia imbricata KMR429 'Agua Nueva-Rd'

NOT IN STOCK!

Opuntia imbricata KMR429 'Agua Nueva-Rd'

Opuntia imbricata SB99 

Coming soon!

Opuntia leptocaulis

‘Desert Christmas cactus’

[syn. Cylindropuntia leptocaulis]

Widely distributed in deserts, grasslands, chaparral, and woodlands in the South-western United States and several states in Northern Mexico, a shrubby plants reaching .5 to 1.8 m (1.6 to 5.9 ft) in height, pale yellow or greenish yellow flowers, with occasional red tips, around December, the plant grows red berries that when consumed, can have an intoxicating effect.

Not known to contain mescaline. 

Coming soon!

Opuntia leptocaulis

Cylindropuntia leptocaulis JL243+PG

NOT IN STOCK!

Opuntia macrorhiza

The fruit can be eaten raw, cooked or dried for later use. Said to be sweet and gelatinous. The unripe fruits can be added to soups, imparting an okra-like mucilaginous quality. Be careful of the plants irritant hairs. The pads can be cooked or raw, they are watery and very mucilaginous. The Seed can be briefly roasted then ground into a powder. hardiness zone 8.

Opuntia macrorhiza var. grandiflora

(Fayette, TX) 

Coming soon!

Opuntia phaeacantha 

'Tulip Pricklypear'

The fruit can be used raw, cooked or dried for later use. The fruit can be made into a jelly or baked with sugar and cinnamon. Seeds can be dried, parched and ground into a meal, then added to flour and used in making cakes, also the young stems may also be cooked, boiled or roasted, then used like green beans.

Opuntia phaeacantha DJF 970.18

[Fremont Co, CO]

NOT IN STOCK!

Opuntia polyacantha 'Plains Prickly Pear'



Opuntia polyacantha JRT 1901
[Ex. Fremont Co, CO]

Coming soon!


Opuntia polyacantha var. arenaria

Coming soon!


Opuntia spinosior

'Walking stick cactus'

[Syn.  Cylindropuntia spinosior]

Native to Arizona and New Mexico in the United States and Chihuahua and Sonora in Mexico, growing between 0.4 and 1.2 metres in height with spine-covered stems, flowers may be rose, red purple, yellow, or white and appear from spring to early summer, followed by fruits that are yellow with occasional red or purple tinges.

Contains: mescaline 

Opuntia spinosior

Opuntia spinosior DJF 998

Kneeling Nun, NM.

Coming soon!

Opuntia sulphurea

This species is largely distributed in the Monte region of Argentina, where it has been used as an edible resource, especially in periods of food shortage.

Opuntia sulphurea MN 394 

[Tupiza, 3000m, Bolivia]

Coming soon!

Opuntia whipplei 'Whipple Cholla'

[syn. Cylindropuntia whipplei]

This species has been used for a number of applications by native American tribes. Hopi: Drug (Antidiarrheal), root chewed or compound decoction taken for diarrhea. Apache: Fruit dried for winter use. Zuni: Food. Navajo: Ceremonial. 

Cylindropuntia whipplei 92357.26 

[Archuleta Co., CO, 6400ft, 1951m (ALPLAINS)

Coming soon!

Cylindropuntia whipplei 

(Snowflake, AZ) 

Coming soon!

Oreocereus fossulatus

Columnar cactus to 10′ tall. Stems to 3″ diameter with 10–13 tuberculate ribs. Straw yellow spines up to 2″ long. Course white hairs grow out of the areoles somewhat obscuring the stem of the plant and giving it a shaggy appearence. 3″ tubular red-pink flowers. Large yellow edible fruits. Highlands of central Bolivia. Easily and hardy to Z8b.

Oreocereus fossulatus LF 0565B

[Cotagaite, 3253 m]

NOT IN STOCK!

Pachycereus 'Indian comb'

Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum

A rather common, huge, short-spined organ-pipe cactus that can grow to over 10 meters tall, bears beautiful white blooms with purple edges and has globus fruit densely covered in yellow wool and bristles. The Tarahumara Indians of Mexico use the young branches to make a sacred narcotic drink. It is also known as Wichowaka, which means insanity, causes dizziness and visual hallucinations.

Contains: arizonine, carnegine, heliamine, ispsalsoline, 3-4-dimethoxyphenethylamine, salsoline, salsolidine, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenethylamine, 3-hydroxy-4 methoxyphenethylamine.

Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum

Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum JL3683

Seed collected by Joël Lodé

NOT IN STOCK!

Pachycereus pringlei JL 3685 

[Baja California]

Known as the Mexican giant cardon or elephant cactus, this is a species of cactus native to north-western Mexico in the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Sonora. It is commonly known as cardón, a name derived from the Spanish word cardo, meaning ‘thistle’. Large stands of these magnificent cactus still exist, but many have been destroyed as land has been cleared for cultivation in Sonora. The fruit of this cactus was an important food for the Seri people in Sonora, who call the cactus xaasj. The flesh of this cactus contains alkaloids, and may have been used as a psychoactive plant in Mexico. Seed collected by Joël Lodé from Baja California.

Seed collected by Joël Lodé

SEEDS AVAILABLE!

Pelecyphora 'Hatchet Cactus'

Pelecyphora aselliformis

This very rare cactus is indigenous to the state of San Louis Potosi in central Mexico, also been known as the hatchet cactus, it is slow growing, solitary, grey-green, round in shape, the tubercles are laterally flattened, and arranged in a spiral with small scale-like spines. Its apical blooms are purplish red with white edges, considered to be one of the most sacred of divine cacti.

Contains: anhalidine, 3-demethyltrichocereine, 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine, hordenine, mescaline (.003%), N-methylmescaline, N-methyl-3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine, pellotine.

NOT IN STOCK!

Pelecyphora aselliformis

Polaskia chende 

'Heliabravoa Chende'

Polaskia chichipe JL3877

Seed collected by Joël Lodé

NOT IN STOCK!

Ritterocereus

Ritterocereus histrix 
[8 km west Cajobabo]

[syn. Stenocereus hystrix]

Cactaceae: Hardy to zone 9, blue gray green flesh with yellowish brown spines, flowers are red to green, native to central and south America, I can find very little information on this plant, it has been rumoured on the net to have the same chemical make up as Lophophora williamsii ‘Peyote’, but reports suggest that it may only contain trace amounts of mescaline, and it seems to be a little slower and more difficult to grow, compared with Trichocereus sp. All that said this is still a very interesting and hard to find cactus to add to any collection.

Contains: mescaline, 3-4-dimethoxyphenethylamine (.01%), 4-hydroxy-3-5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (.01%).

1 PLANT AVAILABLE!

Ritterocereus histrix 

Other Stenocereus species that contain trace amounts of mescaline are:

Stenocereus beneckei [syn. Cereus beneckei]

Stenocereus eruca ‘Creeping Devil’ [syn. Cereus eruca]

Stenocereus stellatus  'Baja Organ Pipe'

Stenocereus treleasei ‘Tunillo’ [syn. Lemaireocereus treleasei]

NOT IN STOCK!

Selenicereus

Selenicereus grandiflorus'Queen of the Night'

Thin, cylindrical, climbing stems with 5-8 ribs and small bristly spines. The genus derives its name from the Greek selene (moon) which is in reference the enormous (12″!) white funnelform flowers with yellow-brown sepals and an incredible vanilla like perfume. The nocturnal flowers only last a single night. The specific origin of this epiphytic tropical cactus is unknown, but it occurs wild in eastern Mexico and throughout the Caribbean. The flowers and young stems are widely used in herbal medicine as an effective heart tonic. It’s also known to help with urinary infections and is used topically for rheumatism. Mrs. Grieve’s herbal reports that large doses produce delirium and hallucination. Cultivated commercially in Mexico for the herbal industry. Likes a rich soil and lots of water and food to bloom successfully. Give it a trellis or bush to climb on and protect from direct frost. Z9b.

Selenicereus grandiflorus'Queen of the Night'

[Pilon, Cuba]

Coming soon!

Solisia

Solisia pectinata

[syn. Mammillaria pectinifera]

Endemic to a few low density localities of the biosphere reserve in the Tehuacán valley, north-western Oaxaca, in southern tropical Mexico, found growing under bushes and other vegetation, on deep alkaline soils with relatively high surface stoniness and high water retention capacity, the climate is semi-dry, hot, with summer rains and slight temperature oscillations. This small cactus appears above the ground as a squat, spherical stem, centrally depressed, completely covered by flattened spines, and usually solitary, in cultivation the plant's stem may be cylindrical, and it will eventually produce clustering off-shoots with age, flowers are white to pink with darker. A slow growing cactus, that is very prone to rot, and can temperamental when cultivated on its own roots, but it is much easier to grow if grafted, it has a fairly large tap root, and should be kept in a deep pot with a very draining mineral substrate, hardy to zone 9/10.

Considered to be an important species of false Peyote.

Reported to contain unspecified alkaloids.

NOT IN STOCK!

Solisia pectinata

Mammillaria pectinifera IDD 440 [Tecamachalco, Puebla, Mexico]

NOT IN STOCK!

Stetsonia

Stetsonia coryne

‘The Toothpick Cactus’

Native from central Argentina to Northwest Paraguay and Southeast Bolivia, a large, candle shaped plant that can reach 8 meters in height; the stems are bluish-grey with 8 or 9 rounded ribs, shallow grooves, felted areoles, each bearing 7 to 9, 3cm long spines, night blooming with tubular, white flowers with green edges.  They are easy plant that grow large and form beautiful specimens with time, frost tolerant as low as -4°C (or possibly colder) but in cultivation it is best to avoid any frost when during the winter, the temperature can go down to 2° C without any harm so long as the compost is completely  dry.

Contains: anhalidine, anhalonidine, coryniene, 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine, mescaline, 3-methoxytyramine, N-methyltyramine, tyramine.

Stetsonia coryne

Stetsonia coryne DS

SEEDS AVAILABLE!

Strombocactus

Strombocactus Disciformis

Native to Mexico ( Quetaro, Hidalgo and Guanajuato ), found growing in nearly vertical limestone cliffs and slopes, solitary plants, the body is flattened or spherical, 3 to 8 cm high, reaching 20 cm in age, and 3 to 9 cm across, the crown is slightly depressed and felted,  blue-green with greyish tinge, the base covered with brown corky spots in age. Regarded as a choice and difficult plant in cultivation it is relatively easy to grow, but very slow growing. It is often seen as a grafted plant but grows very well on its own roots too; it needs a very well drained mineral substratum with little organic matter (peat, humus), requires strong sun to part sun to develop good compact growth and watering’s should be rather infrequent, to keep the plant flat shaped and not become excessively elongated and unnatural in appearance, water sparingly from March till October and keep perfectly dry in winter, or when night temperatures remain below 10° C (but some people give this plant a light monthly watering to prevent the drying and shedding of the lower tubercles.) hardy to -4°C (or less)  for a short period, in the rest period you should avoid high atmospheric humidity!! Ensure good ventilation.

Reported to contain unspecified alkaloids.

NOT IN STOCK!

Strombocactus Disciformis

Turbinicarpus

Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele

Native to Hidalgo, Queretaro, Mexico, solitary (usually) or slowly clumping, stems globular pale green to darker green with woolly top up to 2,5-4 cm tall, 2-4 cm in diameter, flowers are very pale pink to bright, yellowish green, to purple with darker mid-stripe, up to 2 cm long. A fairly robust and easy to grow plant, watering should be rather infrequent to keep plant compact, the fact that the plant retracts into the soil and assumes a grey-green colouring between watering, is perfectly natural and doesn’t cause any damage, hardy to -4°C for short periods.

Contains: hordenine.

NOT IN STOCK!

Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele