Datura Species, Devil's Trumpet, Jimsonweed, Thorn Apple, Durman

On Nov 5, 2014, coriaceous from ROSLINDALE, MA wrote:

This has been a serious weed in a garden we maintain. It pops up and grows so swiftly that we have a hard time keeping it from overwhelming other plants we want to grow. Seeds remain viable in the soil for many years.

This species is banned from cultivation in CT. It has been declared a noxious weed in 5 other states. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Datura stramonium.png

This common weed is generally thought to have originated in Central America, though authorities differ about this, as it spread rapidly to most semitropical and temperate regions of the world shortly after European explorers reached the Americas.

This species is an annual, not a perennial ha... read morerdy to Z8.

Other names for the plant include devil’s snare, devil’s weed, devil’s cucumber, angel trumpet, devil's trumpet, devil's apple, mad-apple, hell's bells, Jamestown weed, stinkweed, pricklyburr, nightshade, Peru-apple, locoweed, stramonium, datura, tolguacha, toloache, taguaro, and chamiso.

On Sep 15, 2013, Gwydionalder from Williamson, AZ wrote:

While the Datura species is beautiful and I truly enjoy seeing them growing wild all across our Arizona High Desert, I wanted to echo the warning about not ingesting or smoking any part of this species. If you want to use a naturopathic approach to asthma then buy something where Datura/Jimson Weed is used appropriately in an over-the-counter asthma preparation like Barter's Powder, Green Mountain Asthmatic Compound, or Haywood's Powder, . Dosage is critical and as wildcrafting does not give reliable concentrations it is highly unwise to experiment with this plant.The entire species carries Tropane Belladonna Alkaloids i.e. Hysocamine, Atropine, and Scopalomine in its parts in widely varying concentrations (even in the same plant) . Datura plants can be very dangerous around young child... read moreren that are still 'tasting' their environments, as children are more susceptible than adults to the toxic effects of anticholinergic agents. Datura has, for eons, been used as an Entheogen by native populations and foolish thrill-seeking teens have also tried it, often to their great detriment. As an Entheogen Datura requires a skilled Shaman or practitioner to insure that the correct set, setting, guiding, and dosage are used. The hallucinations that come with its use as a recreational drug are often terrifying and can leave lasting scars on the psyche. If you are interested in more information regarding Entheogens I highly recommend reading Huston Smith's book on the subject. That being said, if you desire to achieve altered states of consciousness you are always better drumming, meditating, dancing or anything other than the the use of substances natural or artificial.

On Mar 10, 2010, BlackLotus1987 from Villa Alemana,
Chile wrote:

Hi! This plant is very easy to grow in my area (zone 9)
but is a dangerous plant if you have kids and some pets

i know Datura stramonium var. tatula form. bernhardii
(white + violet / purple flower) plant purple, spiny fruit

and Datura stramonium var. stramonium form. stramonium
(white flower, green plant), spiny fruit

Here is a page with the complete Datura genus identification
http://www.erowid.org/plants/datura/datura_key/datura_key3.s...

On Jul 1, 2008, donicaben from Ogdensburg, NY wrote:

Easy to grow from seed. The flowers are gorgeous and smell heavenly.

I'm going to overwinter indoors since it's a bit too cold for her in zone 4. :-) She's so gorgeous that she's worth the basement space. :-D

On Aug 13, 2004, melody from Benton, KY (Zone 7a) wrote:

In my garden, it is just another invasive weed that needs dealing with. I burn my vegetable patch every Fall to try and get rid of as many seeds as possible, but still have untold numbers germinate.

On Jan 24, 2004, Lodden from Mårslet,
Denmark wrote:

I live in Denmark, Europe, and I had the plant outside all summer. I didn´t think I could have it outside in the wintertime, but I´ll try that next year. I got alot of seeds, so if it dies it´s ok. Usually we have to take both Datura and Brugmansia inside, cut them down and take them out the next year.

On Oct 27, 2003, Monocromatico from Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil (Zone 11) wrote:

It grows spontaneously in every place with some fertile soil. Within one month you can go from bare earth to ground covered with this plant, and blooming! Extremely invasive, but I would let some of those grow in my garden, even if so, since I find the flowers very beautiful. I can dig some plants later; I need exercise anyway.

On Nov 16, 2002, AmyD wrote:

Be careful when planting this flower when you have children because if they happen to ingest it they will hallucinate for a few days. It may even kill them. My brother almost died because of this plant and he is still at the hospital. There have been many cases of teenagers eating this plant and dying so I highly suggest you do not plant this flower.

On Nov 3, 2000, jody from MD &, VA (Zone 7b) wrote:

There are 8 species in this genus, either annuals or short lived perennials. They grow to about 6' and gets flowers that are 3" long and shaped like a trumpet. Flowers in mid summer to autumn. Best cultivated in full sun with moist but well drained, rich soil. This plant is poisonous. Propagate from seed. The stramonium species is hardy zones 7-11.