THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROGRAM
      
    Is there a harvesting technique
    that can help ensure the survival of the peyote plant?

           In another collaborative research effort, Dr. Terry and Dr. James Mauseth, a cactus expert at the University of Texas at Austin, are investigating the anatomy of the root and stem of the peyote cactus.
          There is considerable controversy about proper technique for harvesting peyote.
          The critical question is how deeply one can cut below the surface of the ground when harvesting the crown (the green top) of the peyote plant, and still allow sufficient tissue for regeneration of new crowns.
          If one assumes (as do most botanists) that new crowns (which are stem tissue) develop from stem tissue rather than root tissue, then the critical question is: “Where is the dividing line between root and stem in the peyote plant?”
           This question has never been answered, but by making and examining a series of microscope slides showing the transition (and the change in morphology) between root and stem, Drs. Terry and Mauseth intend to find the answer to this question.
          Once there is a reasonably clear idea of where on the underground portion of the plant the root ends and the stem begins, we can offer informed advice about how deeply the licensed peyoteros can cut and still allow the possibility of regrowth from a decapitated peyote plant.
           That is a question of direct practical application for peyote conservation, and it would require no regulatory changes to implement.
          To this end, Dr. Terry recently took Lophophora specimens of various ages to the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked on them with cactus morphologist Dr. Mauseth.
          From those specimens, root and stem specimens were sectioned and the transition zone between root and stem was determined to be very thin – meaning that, in terms of cross-sectional morphology, the demarcation between root and stem is sharp and unambiguous.
          The practical result, after further study of specimens of various sizes, will be to derive a rule of thumb for field harvesters on how deeply a given Lophophora can be cut and still survive to regrow.
          This will likely be given as a cut depth expressed as a percentage of crown diameter.
          The definitive work on the microscopic slides made from the tissues of two juveniles, two medium-sized adults and a large adult is in progress.
          A workable formula for the relationship between crown diameter and depth of subterranean stem will be verified in the field once the Institute is able to acquire secure access to or ownership of a suitable area of habitat.

        Thanks to your contributions, that study was completed in 2012.





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    Cactus Conservation Institute