Flora of North America species comparison

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Datura ferox

Datura metel

Chinese thornapple, fierce thorn-apple

angel's-trumpet
Habit Herbs annual, to 10 dm. Herbs perennial, to 20 dm, roots tuberous.
Stems

puberulent, sometimes glabrescent.

purple in some cultivars, sparsely puberulent, glabrescent.
Leaf

blades broadly ovate, to 13 × 8 cm, margins usually sinuate-dentate, sometimes pinnately lobed, surfaces glabrescent.

blades ovate, to 24 × 20 cm, margins entire or irregularly sinuate-dentate, surfaces puberulent, glabrescent.
Flowers

calyx with minute pubescence along veins, tube cylindric, 5-toothed;

corolla white, trumpet-shaped, 4–6 cm, acuminate lobes alternating with sinuses.

calyx hairy along veins, tube cylindric, 5-toothed;

corolla white, yellow, or purple, broadly funnelform, with single, double, or triple whorls, finely puberulent along veins, 11–22 cm, acuminate lobes alternating with smaller lobules (or emarginate).
Capsules

erect, dehiscent by 4 valves, pericarp dry, sparsely hairy, with prickles unequal, some 15+ mm, proximals shorter than distals;

calyx remnant not accrescent.

pendent, irregularly dehiscent, pericarp fleshy, puberulent, glabrescent, tuberculate;

calyx remnant slightly accrescent.
Seeds

black, 4–4.5 mm, convex marginal ridge absent, testa rugose;

caruncle absent.

brown, 4–6 mm, convex marginal ridge present, testa smooth;

caruncle present.
2n

= 24.

= 24.

Datura ferox

Datura metel
Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Cultivated fields, irrigation ditches, road and trail margins, waste places. Waste places.
Elevation 0–150 m. (0–500 ft.) 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; GA; NC; NV; NY; PA; occasional nearly worldwide [Introduced in North America]
from FNA
CA; FL; IL; KS; LA; MA; NC; OK; TX; ON; QC; Mexico [Introduced and cultivated nearly worldwide]
Discussion

The origin and native status of Datura ferox is unresolved, although China has been cited as the country of origin since Linnaeus. The most extensive phytogeographic distribution of this species is in northern Argentina. Its association with ship ballast and seed stock of monocultural crops may explain its local abundance when introduced.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Datura metel is an ornamental and ritual plant that was domesticated in the region of southern Mexico and Central America prior to European contact; it is derived from a common ancestor shared with D. innoxia. Using old Arabic and Indic references as well as iconographic representations from southern India, R. Geeta and W. Gharaibeh (2007) supported the hypothesis that D. metel was transferred to the Old World at least a millennium ago. Plants escaped from cultivation may persist for only a few years.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 14. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Solanaceae > Datura Solanaceae > Datura
Sibling taxa
D. ceratocaula, D. discolor, D. innoxia, D. metel, D. quercifolia, D. stramonium, D. wrightii
D. ceratocaula, D. discolor, D. ferox, D. innoxia, D. quercifolia, D. stramonium, D. wrightii
Name authority Linnaeus: Demonstr. Pl., 6. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 179. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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