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Growers Notes... New Species or Not??

Lophophora Williamsii
var. jourdaniana

Above: Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana pups getting ready for new homes January 2021

The famous Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana is known for its incredibly deep pink or magenta flower, often described as red in colour. The trouble with this plant is the very fact that it is not a true Lophophora but a hybrid with no proven origin that I can find. In fact, if any plant with such a label produces viable seed, the person will be given the clue that it is not the known jourdaniana in their collection but something else because seeds from this hybrid are said to be sterile. It has also been my experience having planted seeds from about a dozen different suppliers around the world, that about ninety percent of seeds with the label of "jourdaniana" do not germinate and of those few that do, only a small fraction of a percentage of plants will ever produce the famously bright coloured flower, as shown in one of my luckier plantings here below. Another factor that further questions the actuality of this plant, is the fact that many of my Lophophora Diffusa var. fricii plants, as well as those with the label of decipiens, also produce the exact same coloured flower petals along with identical body structures as the one shown here below, minus the spines and dark pink pollen filaments. The final question that arrises about this variation is its title, indicating it to be of the Williamsii family, in turn containing mescaline as its primary alkaloid. As I have mentioned, all plants that I have successfully grown with the label of jourdaniana, look very similer to members of the Lophophora Diffusa var. fricii varieties I have grown. On the other hand what makes this plant unique are its combination of pollen filaments, spines and flower colour all combined.

Above: Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana saddly lost in the fire of 2014

Interestingly enough, Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana is said to not take pollen from any of the Diffusa or Williamsii family of plants and apparently, the only person said to have successfully crossed this plant was a Russian botanist by the name of Serge Batov. So how on earth can one possibly come up with such a plant? Experimentation is the answer, for not a single grower including myself will give up that secret.

There is much discrepancy as to what a proper cross would be to produce this variety known as Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana and many suggest crossing a typical Williamsii plant with a brightly coloured flowering fricii variety, (you can try this yourself but you will find it does not work). For those with the greatest of interest, I can offer a clue. As mentioned on my desrciption page, Lophophora Williamsii has been successfully fertilized by Ariocarpus Fissuratus, L.Diffusa, Mammillaria Bocasana, M.Zeilmanniana, Strombcactus Disciformis, Turbinicarpus Pseudomacrochele, Astrophytum Asterias, and Epithelantha Micromeris. Once you complete your expereiments you will understand why the price of seeds for this variety are so high!!

Most research indicates that unlike all other forms of Lophophora available, the jourdaniana variety actually has small spines on its ariolas. That's right... Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana is supposed to have spines thoughout its entire life, unlike that of the Williamsii or Diffusa families, which only have soft spines as tiny seedlings that are eventualy replaced by small tufts of hair or wool as we prefer to say. These tiny put sharp spines can be seen on the image here below as well as the amazing close up shot shown at the bottom of the page taken by my good friend David R.

Above: Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana seedling

Above: Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana spine shot

New update January 2021. Things are looking bright for the year to come with a new batch of plants that I have finally had some success with that I am willing to share. It has taken me practically fifteen years and about five thousand seeds later to finally put together a small crop of Lophophora Williamsii var. joudaniana plants but I am finally there. I have to say that this has been the most challenging variation to grow that I have ever experienced. Half the time I ordered seeds I thought I was retarded for doing the same thing over and over that refused to work, but eventually I got a few going, six in total with another two good prospects coming along now.

The plant pictured here below I have labelled L.W. var. jourdaniana J-1, as it is the first I have had success with from seed since losing the few I had success with prior to 2014. The plants date of birth is January 2017 and is quite amazing with its growth as it went seriously into a caespitose type of growth producing a lot of pups. I would have to describe this plant as a southern type variation as it has fibrous roots, is self-sterile, and is more prone to rot and cold than the typical northern Williamsii form.

My initial repots involved pulling self rooted chunks, and pups off along with just cutting a number of pups that were growing long from underneath. Every part of the plant I pulled I seemed to have success with re-rooting and planting to the point that I now have a number of plants that I am able to share with many of you. You will be able to identify grown plants from this one soon all with the label of J-1 to identify them, and they were all set to replant and re-root, in September 2019

Above: Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-1, planted seed January 8, 2017. Picture taken January 2021

My findings have been few and hard to establish but there is some good news and its hopefuly getting better. As mentioned before the thing about this plant is that it is a hybrid, meaning you can never have any certian expectation from any seed produced by this plant. In my years of trying to grow this plant from seed the majority of what has come up was nothing at all. About 95% of seeds offered were dead. Then from the other five percent you get excited to seed turn to a plant coming up, and you have to wait at least a year or more for that plant to show you a flower or traits that you are looking for. I have noticed that at times even when the seedling is producing consistant spines it never gets to maturity, or the flower comes out very dull or just not typical of the jourdanian expectation. Then you have different tones in the colour of the flower. Petals are normally consistant with thier brilliant depth of color, but the stamina can very from a typical yellow to a deep purple tone with the same fusia type pollen petals. Similarly pups will very from plants that grow caespitose, as well as single headed variatiations which I find harder to produce. Here below is an example of a plant from the same seed batch with a different color stamina and growing as a single headed plant from seed. I have this one below labeled as J-4.

Above: Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-4, planted seed January 8, 2017. Picture taken January 2021

Time to talk about propagation of this plant. Typical methods of propagation for a plant that is self sterile, would be cross polination with a plant that was compatible, rooting of pups, or grafting of ariolas. As I have learned most seed purchased for this plant does not provide you with a plant that you are lookng for. I have been working on it for a long time. What I have had great success with is a particular plant that I've labeled as J-1 shown above, with the production of beautifu flowering plants from pups of the original. All are of the same DNA so they definately cannot be used to cross with each other. And these will be the first of the plants that I put for sale of this desireable variation.
So even though most writings about this plant say it cannot be crossed with the regular Williamsii to produce seed, I keep trying and crossing every flower with my own Williamsii plants, and different variations of it is kind. Turns out that success with seed production is minimal at best, but I still did succeed as the picture here below will demonstrate. Here below is a picture of a pup of J-1 that has been crossed with one of my Williamsii plants and has produced a seed pod as you can see here below. Note that these pups I am producing seed with, are the very same pups I will be selling. I have had similar success with fourteen pups of J-1 now producing seed pods for me with one to two seeds per pod. What the seeds I collect will produce I do not know as of yet.. that is another year plus of experimenting before I will have seeds to offer my friends here if I am ever able to. Fingers crossed that I succeed so I can offer these sooner than later. For now I hope everyone is happy with the flowering pups I have coming.

Above: Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-1 pup rooted September 2019 showng its first successful fruit of the year. This picture taken December 25, 2020

Above: Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-1 pups rooted September 2019 showng its first successful fruit of the year. This picture taken February 2, 2021

Above: Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-2 seed planted August 19, 2017. Another wonderful specimen with a slightly different look and lovely ribbing. This picture taken February 4, 2021

Above: This is the same plant pictured above the following day with a fruit pod. Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-2 seed planted August 19, 2017. This picture taken February 5, 2021. Here below are just a few more jourdiana pictures for you all to enjoy taken from sales page.

Above: Another Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-1 pups rooted September 2019. These pictures taken between December of 2020, and February 2021.

Above: Couldn't resist offering you this, what amazing flowers... Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-1 pups rooted September 2019. These pictures taken February 12, 2021.

Above: Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-6 seed planted June 7, 2018. Another wonderful specimen with a very interesting and incredibly rare flower with two stamins. This picture taken February 23, 2021

Above: Another Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-1 pup flowering with a double stamin. Picture taken February 26, 2021.

Above: Another Lophophora Williamsii var. jourdaniana J-1 pup gone kinky with a foursome. Picture taken March 6, 2021.

Latest update September 30, 2021. Seed production has been incredibly slow. From a collection of seventeen fruit bearing plants (The original mother plant labeled J-1, and sixteen pups from the same plant), forty seed pods were collected since January of this year containing a total of fifty seeds. Interestingly two seed pods had three seeds within, six of the seed pods had two seeds within, and the remaining thirty-two pods had only a single seed within. Normally from 17 generic Williamsii plants I would collect at least a thousand seeds within that time if things were going well.

October 1, 2021. I planted all fifty seeds that were harvested and began to wait and see what happens.
October 18, 2021. Appears to be sixteen healthy seedlings now growing from this batch making the germination rate 32%. And now we wait until they begin to flower and keep our fingers crossed that they all have the traits we are waiting for in both flower color and spines. The unfortunate thing about these finding is that it will not be feasible for me to sell seeds of the jourdaniana variation as it is just to costly to produce but if all goes well I seem to be producing a greater variety of seed grown plants to share. My experiments will still continue though, so there is always hope that I will have a break through.

November 14, 2022. Here are the five remaining successful L.Williamsii var. jourdaniana seedlings that have joined the family here at MagiCactus. These are my proof that although production is sparce, and germination low, the plants labeled with the status of J-1 that I sell can be pollinated by any L.Williamsii strain as I have only used my generic plants, which go under the seed number of 1000.

Above: Five newest additions to the L.Williamsii var. jourdaniana collection bringing the number up to twelve seed grown plants in the collection at this time. Most interesting is that these are the first seedlings produced from the my own plants that have been successfully pollinated by my genic L.Williamsii plants.