Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Datura

Photographed this beautiful tropical flower in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo, on 21 September 2015. I wasn't sure if it was Brugmansia or the closely related Datura, but several people gave the ID as Datura. After reading the following from Wikipedia, I think this has to be Datura. I photographed one of the fruits from this plant and it did have softly rounded spines on it. All species of Datura are POISONOUS, especially their seeds and flowers. "Datura is a genus of nine species of poisonous vespertine flowering plants belonging to the family Solanaceae. They are known as angel's trumpets, sometimes sharing that name with the closely related genus Brugmansia, and commonly known as daturas. They are also sometimes called moonflowers, one of several plant species to be so. Its precise and natural distribution is uncertain, owing to its extensive cultivation and naturalization throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the globe. Its distribution within the Americas and North Africa, however, is most likely restricted to the United States and Mexico in North America, and Tunisia in Africa, where the highest species diversity occurs." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura "Brugmansia is a genus of seven species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. Their large, fragrant flowers give them their common name of angel's trumpets, a name sometimes used for the closely related genus Datura. Brugmansia are woody trees or shrubs, with pendulous, not erect, flowers, that have no spines on their fruit. Datura species are herbaceous bushes with erect (not pendulous) flowers, and most have spines on their fruit. All seven species are listed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN Red List." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brugmansia

I was lucky enough to see this plant on an acreage near Millarville (south of Calgary) last year. "Datura stramonium is also known by the common names jimson weed, ditch weed, stink weed, loco weed, Korean morning glory, Jamestown weed, thorn apple, angel's trumpet, devil's trumpet, devil's snare, devil's seed, mad hatter, crazy tea, malpitte,and "poor man's acid". It is a common weed in the Nightshade Family. It contains tropane alkaloids that are sometimes used as a hallucinogen. The active ingredients are atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine which are classified as deliriants, or anticholinergics. Due to the elevated risk of overdose in uninformed users, many hospitalizations, and some deaths, are reported from recreational use." From Wikipedia.