Lophophora williamsii or peyote is a small, spineless cactus with psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. Peyote is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl, or Aztec, peyōtl, meaning “glisten” or “glistening”. Other sources translate the Nahuatl word as “Divine Messenger”.

Scientific name: Lophophora williamsii

Conservation status: Vulnerable (Population decreasing) Encyclopedia of Life

Higher classification: Lophophora

Rank: Species

Family: Cactaceae

Order: Caryophyllales