Aztekium ritteri is a species of cactus

Cactus

A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...

, in the genus Aztekium

Aztekium

The genus Aztekium contains only two species of small globular cactus. Discovered in 1929 by F. Ritter, in Rayones, Nuevo León, Mexico, this genus was thought to be monotypic until a second species was discovered by George S...

. It is one of the two species that make up the genus. The species originated in Mexico. Aztekium is a genus endemic to Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.

In Mexico, Aztekium ritterii it is called “Peyotillo.” However, even though it contains N-methyltyramine

N-Methyltyramine

N-Methyltyramine is a natural phenethylamine alkaloid found in a variety of plants. Biosynthetically, it is produced by the methylation of tyramine via the action of the enzyme tyramine N-methyltransferase....

, hordenine

Hordenine

Hordenine is a phenethylamine alkaloid with antibacterial and antibiotic properties. It stimulates the release of norepinephrine in mammals, working as a stimulant...

, anhalidine, mescaline

Mescaline

Mescaline or 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine is a naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid of the phenethylamine class used mainly as an entheogen....

, N,N-3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine, pellotine, and 3-methoxytyramine

3-Methoxytyramine

3-Methoxytyramine , also known as 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenethylamine, is a metabolite of the neurotransmitter dopamine formed by the introduction of a methyl group to dopamine by the enzyme catechol-O-methyl transferase...

, there have been no ethnobotanical reports that state that it has ever been used by native Indians.

Blooming Habits

The Aztekium ritteri blooms throughout the summer, producing an abundance of white and pink flowers measuring less than one centimeter in diameter. These flowers are followed by small pink fruit that open when ripe and let out tiny seeds.