Brugmansia sp.

[pikevi]

This plant was a gift from my dentist. It was a small plant and has now grown rather big now.

It has its 1st flower .. a huge one at that! ( almost 25cm as a bud)

The entire plant is poisonous but the flowers are supposed to be extremely fragrant. I doubt if they can be kept where small kids are. It has atropine and other derivatives which can prove to be deadly even though it is used for medicinal purposes in humans in smaller doses (Anton's field ).

I will post another photo when it is fully open.

[Tobi]

Very interesting plant Pikevi. Love the trumpet shaped flowers. Found this
link with some information on it.

http://www.erowid.org/plants/brugman...ugmansia.shtml

[pikevi]

Thanks Tobi.

That was a useful link.

Atropa and Datura belong to the same family. Both are poisonous. I believe our delicious tomatoes (Lycopersicum) belong to the same family too. Thank the stars that they are edible

[jay]

Datura leaves smell like peanut butter. Sacred Dature (Jimson Weed, Bella Donna, Nightshade) grows all over the Mojave. Same white trumpet like flowers.

The native Indians used it for a right of passage much like Peyote. They would make a tea using the seed pods and give it to the young man making this transition to man. He would then spend the next several days in the wilderness hallucinating (see into his future). The 'visions' that came to them would often guide them as to the path their life should take as well as what animal spirits should guide them through life. These animal spirits were then often carved on totem poles to represent them.

The downside is that it is very dangerous. Datura can be stronger than LSD or peyote. You can't tell by looking at the plant, only by trying it. Two plants ten feet away can have different potencies depending on amount of water, nutrients, shade, and surrounding vegitation. Medicine Men of the tribe would try/test many plants little by little so that they could control the doses given to others. Something to keep in mind.


Jay

[pikevi]

Thanks for the info, jay.

Indians must have been pretty advanced in controlling the dosage. It could have caused insanity or worse , death, if administered carelessly.

I did not know that some cacti are hallucinogenic as well.

I do remember that Daturas can have different strengths and amounts of alkaloids though growing in the same vicinity. I hear that poison ivy does the same.

[snowballsarebad]

When I saw the Brugmansia picture, I thought it looked similar to the moonflowers at our family cottage in Michigan. So I googled moonflowers...and came up with what Jay mentioned...Datura, which look exactly like the moon flowers we've got. I never knew they were poisonous, thanks. They smell delicious.
We just got the cottage a year ago...the moonflowers were planted with sunflowers...a cute little sun and moon garden, I guess. The moonflowers came back up on their own this year, along with snapdragons. the sunflowers did not. So now it is just a moon garden.