Brunfelsia, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 'Floribunda'

On Jun 10, 2011, EdgarRossal from Guatemala,
Guatemala (Zone 10a) wrote:

Brunfelsias have been among the most beautiful tropical plants I ever had, they bloomed like crazy during the tropical rainy season but its beauty makes to forget the hidden fatal consequences produced by ingesting its poisoning seeds.

I do still keep them but under my supervision, once they bloomed I cut it off all the seedpods to avoid them from maturing and falling into the ground.

How I noticed? well, I am a bird lover and I have some peacocks, pheasants and 2 fantail doves roaming free in the landscape but last year I overlooked to trim all the seedpods before they mature and the result was fatal.

One white male peacock died by eating 20 seeds and the 2 doves too. They colapsed just minutes after ingesting the seeds; trembling, disoriented... read more, and signs of fatigue. The peacock late more in dying due to its size but after 2 hours he was dead. A necropsy made on them revealed the deadly seeds in their bladders.

If you love these plants and you still want to have them on your yard BE VERY CAUTIOUS!!! BUT VERY CAUTIONS, if you feel like you can be alert to the seeding season its ok but if you cant...avoid these plants from your garden if you have pets or children. Its not worthy to suffer from loosing your pets or poisoning the kids. Dont know how fatal can be on humans.

On Jul 26, 2009, terrora wrote:

Fair warning...this plant is toxic. My sister in law had one, one of her dogs ate the berries and almost died!!! Luckily the vet had just seen a report about this plant. So, if you have pets or little ones, do remove berries and dry seeds in a high safe place. The rest of the plant is iffy, so give thought to where you put this lovely plant.

On Oct 12, 2007, macybee from Deer Park, TX (Zone 9a) wrote:

Brunfelsia
These evergreen shrubs or small trees from South and Central America bear delightfully fragrant flowers with a narrow tube flaring abruptly into 5 flat petals; these change color from their first day of opening through successive days, with flowers of different ages sprinkling the bush. Most species are slow growing and bushy, with simple, rather leathery leaves. The plants may all contain poisonous alkaloids, particularly in their berry-like fruits, which have been known to poison dogs.
Cultivation: These shrubs need a frost-free site, in full sun or with afternoon shade, and fertile, well-drained soil with adequate water in summer or during dry spells. They do well in pots and are widely grown in greenhouses in Europe. Prune after flowering to promote bushiness. ... read morePropagate from tip cuttings. Mealybug and white fly may present problems.
Brunfelsia pauciflora syns Brunfelsia callycina, B eximia - Brazil Raintree:
This small deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub is slower growing and less vigorous than Brunfelsia australis, with duller dark green, leathery leaves, growing to about 5' tall and wide but rather open branched. In bloom it is even more dramatic: large, abundant flowers open a rich purple and fade to mauve and white over successive days, all through spring and earlly summer. 'Floribunda' has smaller leaves and extremely abundant pale purple flowers.
Zones 10-12.