Peyote??
David Ehrlich (Sat, 06 Apr 2013 10:44:06 PDT)

I do not agree with you.  Lophophora williamsii is a well known plant.  It is
similar to L. diffusa, but they can be distinguished.  When I lived in L.A.,
I was somewhat of an expert on cactus and grew many.  Among my plants was L.
williamsii, and of course it flowered for me.  So far as tap root, only plants
grown from seed will have that.  Most plants are distributed from cuttings which
have only adventitious roots.  I assure you, that many of those souvenir dish
collections sold in the Southwest contained Lophophora williamsii, though I'm
sure that none of the Northeasterners who bought those souvenirs ever ate the
plants.  Regarding its illegality -- it is native to the U.S.; I'm not aware of
the feds ever exterminating it.  But you're right, it was overcollected, which
contributed to its rarity.
I no longer live in L.A, and I no longer grow cactus.  Dish gardens of cactus
are not sold in the Bay Area.

David E.

________________________________

Dear david, I am not sure if you got my other message but I can assure that
they (Growers) do NOT put peyote cactus plants in dish gardens!The peyote
cactus  has a drug that acts like LSD on the brain. Unless you are a member
of the  Native American Church it is a felony to grow and possess the plant.
I would  have to look it up but it may have been as far back as !930 that
it was made  illegal by the feds. Just type in Peyote cactus in a search
engine. You are in  for quite a surprise. You must have confused this cactus
with something else in  your dish garden. As a grower of cactus for resale I
can assure you no one in  their right mind would plant this in a dish garden
for resale. If you find a  dish garden with what you are sure  is peyote can
you please send me a  picture. I am a Botanical Taxonomist and would like to
know what you are seeing.  By the way peyote grown from seed has a fleshy,
carrot like taproot, smooth  skin, white flowers and a globular head growing
off the taproot. It almost never  clumps in nature unless the top has been
cut off. Then the head can resprout,  sometimes with multiple globular
heads. It is rare in nature because of over  harvesting for drug use-Russ H.

In a message dated 4/5/2013 6:40:26 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, 
idavide@sbcglobal.net writes:

A  federal crime to grow peyote?  Peyote is typically included in those
gift 
cactus plantings sold throughout the southwest.  I shouldn't doubt  that
many
members of this group grow it, although I doubt any of us use it  as a
narcotic.

David  E.
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From: "Jadeboy48@aol.com" <Jadeboy48@aol.com>
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Fri, April 5, 2013 11:35:24 PM
Subject: Re: [pbs] Peyote??