Datura stramonium
Datura metel
datura, devil's apple or weed, jimson-weed, thorn-apple
angel's-trumpet
sometimes purple, sparsely puberulent, glabrescent.
purple in some cultivars, sparsely puberulent, glabrescent.
blades broadly ovate, to 22 × 12 cm, margins coarsely sinuate-dentate, surfaces glabrescent.
blades ovate, to 24 × 20 cm, margins entire or irregularly sinuate-dentate, surfaces puberulent, glabrescent.
calyx hairy along veins, tube cylindric, 5-toothed;
corolla usually white, sometimes purplish, trumpet-shaped, (5–)6–11 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).
erect, dehiscent by 4 valves, pericarp dry, glabrous or hairy, with prickles ± equal, to 15 mm;
calyx remnant not accrescent.
pendent, irregularly dehiscent, pericarp fleshy, puberulent, glabrescent, tuberculate;
calyx remnant slightly accrescent.
black, 3–4 mm, convex marginal ridge absent, testa rugose;
caruncle absent.
brown, 4–6 mm, convex marginal ridge present, testa smooth;
caruncle present.
= 24.
= 24.
Datura stramonium
Datura metel
Although a weed found throughout the world, Datura stramonium is probably native to central and southern Mexico and accompanied the expansion of Mesoamerican agriculture. Based upon a revised interpretation of ancient Latin and Greek texts, A. Touwaide (1998) argued that it was known in the Old World prior to the discovery of the New World in 1492. The delirious consequences of the British soldiers’ consumption of young leaves at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1676 led to the application of the common name of jimsonweed to D. stramonium (R. Beverley 1705).
(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.)
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