Ariocarpus fissuratus
(Engelm.) K.Schum.
Cactaceae
Anhalonium engelmannii Lem.
Anhalonium fissuratum Engelm.
Ariocarpus lloydii Rose
Mammillaria fissurata Engelm.
Roseocactus fissuratus (Engelm.) A.Berger
Roseocactus intermedius Backeb. & Kilian
Roseocactus lloydii (Rose) A.Berger
Common Name: False Peyote
General Information
Ariocarpus fissuratus is a very low-growing, succulent, evergreen plant with a rosette-like shape, growing from a large, fleshy taproot. The short, unbranched stem is around 5 - 15cm in diameter, and is almost level with the ground[
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is grown by cactus enthusiasts and is often collected illegally from the wild for this purpose[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Ariocarpus fissuratus is wide ranging, occurs in relatively large populations, and is not declining enough to trigger a threatened listing. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
Range
Southern N. America - Texas, northern and central Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, and Zacatecas)
Habitat
Limestone plains, hills and ridges in regions of xerophyllous scrub, rarely also occurring in gypseous soils; at elevations from 500 - 1,170 metres[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Properties
| Conservation Status | Least Concern |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Perennial |
| Height | 0.10 m |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Cultivation Status | Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Ariocarpus fissuratus is a plant of arid and semi-arid areas in northeast Mexico. It is known to experience short-lived, light frosts in the wild.
Requires a sunny position in a very well-drained, circumneutral soil[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
A very slow-growing plant[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Edible Uses
The juice of this dull gray, cactus is used in the preparation of tesgüino (or teswino), an alcoholic beverage that is generally made from maize (Zea mays)[
1438- Title
- Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
]. A feeling of intoxication reportedly may be achieved by chewing the plant[
1438- Title
- Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
].
Medicinal
The whole plant is used as a poultice for bruises, bites, and wounds[
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
].
The juice of the plant is drunk as a treatment for rheumatism[
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
].
A feeling of intoxication reportedly may be achieved by chewing the plant[
1438- Title
- Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
].
Ariocarpus fissuratus is called false peyote or sunami by the Tarahumara of Mexico, and is used in ceremonies that also involve the ingesting of peyote. Sunami is believed to be even more powerful than waname [peyote] and is used in the same way as the latter; the drink produced from it is also strongly intoxicating. Interestingly, Ariocarpus fissuratus does not contain mescaline, nor any other alkaloid known to be psychoactive[
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
].
Other Uses
Gum and mucilage obtained from all parts of the plant are used in mending broken pottery and as a glue for fastening various items[
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
