Lophophora fricii | big tubercles

Scientific Name

 Lophophora fricii

Geographic & Climate

• Geographic Coordinates： Mexico, Coahuila (Viesca region, surrounding lagoon beds) (approx. 25°20'N to 25°35'N, 102°45'W to 103°05'W)
• Climate Classification： BWh (Arid, desert, hot arid climate)
• Habitat Characteristics：Inhabits flat, limestone-rich alluvial plains and low-lying calcareous hillsides at elevations around 1,100 to 1,300 meters. Precipitation is highly erratic, concentrated in summer thunderstorms, averaging 200–400 mm annually. Substrate consists of highly mineralized, alkaline, gritty limestone soils mixed with gypsum and organic detritus. Plants typically grow under the partial canopy of nurse shrubs or wedged deep into limestone rock crevices.

Botanical Morphology

• Diagnostic Features： Spineless geophytic cactus featuring a broad, flattened, button-like stem (8–12 cm wide) with a pale grey-green to yellowish-green epidermis. Differs from Lophophora williamsii by typically lacking well-defined, straight ribs, instead possessing broad, flat, indistinct podaria (tubercles) and a prominent tuft of grayish-white wool at the apex. Flowers are distinctly large, carmine-red to deep pink with multiple layers of pointed petals. Seeds feature a coarse, black, nodulated testa with a compressed V-shaped hilum.

• Growth Habit： Extremely slow-growing perennial with a large, thick subterranean taproot that contracts during severe drought to pull the stem flush with the soil surface. Forms large multi-headed clumps up to 40 cm across over decades via basal lateral branching from areoles. Summer-growing species with a pronounced winter dormancy.

History & Etymology

• Etymology： The specific epithet fricii honors Albert Frič (1882–1944), a prominent Czech explorer, ethnographer, and Cactologist who extensively collected cacti in the Americas.

• Historical Context)： First scientifically described and published by Czech botanist Vojtěch Habermann in 1975, Lophophora fricii was distinguished from other "false peyotes" due to its unique geographical isolation near Viesca, distinct seed morphology, and vivid carmine blossoms. It is traditionally utilized on a localized scale by indigenous populations for treating muscle soreness, containing high levels of pellotine rather than substantial mescaline.