Greek lophos—crest, phoros—bearing, referring to the tufted areolar hairs.
Body low-growing (sometimes almost on the soil surface in nature) and spherically compressed, mostly clustering. Rootstock carrot-like. Stems ribbed with tubercles, spineless, apex densely woolly. Flowers bell-shaped with sensitive stamens that close inwardly when touched; mostly summer. Pericarpel naked. Fruit cylindrical to club-shaped, pink or red, naked.
Generally grown as the bluish, variable tuberculate L. williamsii (Salm-Dyck) J.M. Coult. from N & NE Mexico and S Texas; it has pinkish flowers.
The source of the hallucinogen mescaline.
Areoles spineless, with tufts of wool only; stamens sensitive, moving when touched.
1-2 species native to E and N Mexico and S Texas.
Anderson (1969).
Source: (1997). Cactaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
