A LARGE PEYOTE CLUMP IN HABITAT, GROWING IN THE LIGHT SHADE OF A CREOSOTE BUSH .
.... Peyote is fat, spineless, and nearly flush with the ground. Their rounded, blue-green, labba-the-Huttesque appearance makes them an interesting addition to collections. Over time, a single head can mound into a large lumpy colony attractive to those with a taste for corpulent plants. Certainly, some peyote gardeners have motives beyond ornamental horticulture. Although I ' m not advocating consumption, the plant can be propagated (and harvested) by cutting off the top of the body and letting the root re-sprout. Because peyote contains the alkaloid mescaline, consuming the dried tops of the plant (buttons) can produce powerful hallucinations that are usually preceded by nausea. Below ground, a parsnip足 shaped taproot stores moisture and carbohydrates. In nature, they usually hunker below sparsely leaved shrubs; in cultivation, they will take partial sunlight and can even be grown indoors on a bright windowsill. The flowers are rather unremarkable-small and light pink -but produced regularly during the warm season. In the United States, both federal and state laws govern the possession of peyote, so you should familiarize yourself with the laws regarding peyote cultivation and use in your area. DESIGN SUGGESTIONS
Peyote is a very handsome and user-friendly (pun intended) plant for a dish garden. Because of its thornless nature, you can use it in a sensory planting the same way you might employ living stones (Lithops species) .