Thorn-apple Care

Datura plants are often confused with Brugmansia. Brugmansia or Datura, which is which? Brugmansia can become a massive woody tree but Datura is smaller and less woody with upright as opposed to drooping flowers. Trumpet flower has a bad rap due to a history that links it to such dangerous plants as nightshade and mandrake. Let’s set that aside and look at its attributes. Datura plants grow quickly and may get up to 4 feet (1 m.) tall. The blooms are fragrant and particularly so at night. Most flowers are white but they may also be yellow, purple, lavender and red. Stems are soft, but erect, and they have a grayish green tinge. Leaves are lobed and lightly furred. The flowers are the standout at several inches (9 cm.) in width. The plant is generally an annual but self seeds vigorously and seedlings grow at a furious rate to adult plants in one season. This self-seeding behavior ensures Datura plant growing year after year.