Peyote
These cacti are small, globular and spineless. As they age they tend to form clusters. They tend to prefer the dense shade under shrubs and are rarely found growing in open areas.
The tiny flowers are a light pink in color.
Lophophora williamsii
Peyote does not occur in the immediate El Paso/Las Cruces area but they are found in the Big Bend region on south along the Rio Grande as well as in adjacent areas of Mexico. In Texas it is an endangered species because vast areas where the plant occurred were drag-chained by the government to destroy these plants as peyote is hallucenogenic and a controlled substance. Its legal use and possession is limited to members of the Native American Church.