Datura and Brugmansia: sowing, planting, and caring for them

Description and Botany

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[plant_sheet latin_name=”Latin name: Datura, Brugmansia” family=”Family: Solanaceae” common_names=”Common name: Datura, Devil’s Herb, Angel’s Trumpets” flowering=”Flowering: from July to October” height=”Height: between 0.50 and 5 m” exposure=”Exposure: sun or partial shade” soil=”Soil: ordinary to rich well-drained soil, even calcareous” hardiness=”Hardiness: Low (0 to -7 °C)” bgcolor=”#d6d47a” alignment=”left” /]

The Brugmansia or arborescent daturas are plants from Central and South America, while the genus Datura in the strict sense is found in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions of America, as well as in Asia (Southern China), Africa, Europe, and Australia. The former includes 6 species distinguished by large pendulous flowers, non-spiny fruits (rare in cultivation), and a long lifespan of several decades. With thick, sparsely branched stems, they can reach 5-6 m in height and 2-3 m in width in humid and warm conditions if not pruned back by frost each year. The latter, herbaceous types, retain the scientific name Datura and include 12 species. These non-woody perennials with a short lifespan easily regrow in mild climates from a tuberous root and form a bush 1 m to 1.50 m in all directions within 2-3 months.

Daturas are burdened with many vernacular names that warrant caution: Devil’s Herb, Angel’s Trumpet, Trumpet of Judgment Day, Trumpet of Fools, Thorny Apple… It is true that the family of daturas includes species that are extremely toxic (narcotic and poisonous), even by simple contact, particularly the Common Jimsonweed.

Datura stramonium is an annual species of American origin that is increasingly found in France in floodplains downstream from large urban areas. It is recognizable by its upright white trumpet-shaped flowers and its very spiny green fruits, which turn beige and are about 5 cm in diameter. Its spontaneous presence often indicates that the soil is polluted, whether by urban, industrial, or agricultural pollution induced by the presence of pesticides or fertilizers, or by an excessive presence of salts (compacted soils in coastal regions or excessively irrigated areas).

Brugmansia arborea – botanical illustration

It is strongly recommended not to touch it and to wear gloves and a mask if you need to uproot it due to its narcotic content. Note that honey obtained from the foraging of Datura stramonium can cause poisoning, as can the fumes generated by burning the plant. In contrast, the species Datura innoxia (syn. Datura meteloides) and Datura metel sold as seeds for ornamental gardens are less poisonous, as the name innoxia, meaning “harmless,” indicates, although caution is still advised, as with Brugmansia.

Brugmansia and Datura belong to the Solanaceae family, just like Tomatoes, Tobacco, Potatoes, as well as Belladonna and Mandrake, which are referred to as witch plants due to their toxicity.

The foliage, about twenty centimeters long, is alternate and deciduous in our climates. In Brugmansia, the light green, velvety, and soft lamina is oval-shaped with smooth edges in adult leaves, bearing a few teeth in juvenile form. In Datura, the leaves are entire or angular-edged with a very veined and often crinkled dark green lamina, more or less bluish, borne on branched stems often tinged with purple or blackish red. They measure between 5 and 20 cm long and 4 to 15 cm wide. The foliage has a foul odour when touched. There are cultivars with variegated forms. The two species marketed for ornamentation, Datura innoxia and Datura metel, closely resemble each other but differ in the number of secondary veins branching from the central vein of each leaf.

The flowers are generally numerous but solitary, arising from a large pale green elongated bud that splits down the middle. The corolla, with 5 fused petals forming a funnel that widens to reach 18 cm in diameter and 30 cm long in hybrid Brugmansia, varies in colour from pure white to light pink, passing through pale golden yellow as seen in Brugmansia arborea, bright orange in B. sanguinea, and intense purple sometimes mixed with white in Datura metel. The petals are marked with a central vein and end in a curved tip, giving the flower a horned trumpet appearance. In double-flowered varieties, the blooming of the flowers is very spectacular as the spiralled petals unfurl. The corolla is preceded by a fused calyx forming a greenish tube or a collar (Datura innoxia). The sweet fragrance that emanates from the flowers of daturas in the evening and during the night has earned them the name “angel’s trumpet.” Their flowers are heavily visited by foraging insects such as moths, hummingbirds, and bats.

The spherical capsules of herbaceous Daturas are remarkable for their spiny surface (non-spiny when the fruit is still green), which has earned them the nickname “thorny apple” or “stinking chestnut.” As they dry, the fruits change from green to beige and then split open to release black seeds about 2 mm in size. In Brugmansia, the fruits are smooth and fleshy, sometimes very long and thin. It is rare to see these fruits in cultivation here, especially since many infertile hybrids are grown. Brugmansia arborea is the only self-fertile species capable of producing fruits here.

Evolution of a Datura flower

The Datura metel and Datura innoxia are medicinal plants at low doses (for rheumatism, anti-inflammatory…), but are mainly known for their hallucinogenic effects, used during ritual ceremonies by the Aztec and Navajo peoples in North America (D. innoxia) and in India (D. metel).
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The main varieties of Datura

Shrub Varieties

Sowing Varieties

Brugmansia arborea

Shrubby Datura to be protected from the cold, producing large, pendulous white trumpets that are highly fragrant. To be planted in the ground or in a pot depending on the climate and in fertile soil.

• Flowering time August to December
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Brugmansia sanguinea - Red Angel's Trumpet

The hardiest species of Brugmansia in the genus, with long, pendulous orange flowers that are not very open. Tolerates temperatures down to -7°C. To be grown in a pot and brought indoors during winter.

• Flowering time July to November
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Datura metel Double Golden Queen Seeds - Brugmansia

Annual plant reaching up to 1.40 m in all directions, with large, double, fragrant flowers shaped like cones, tinted canary yellow. Despite the beauty of its flowering, the toxicity of the entire plant significantly limits its presence in gardens.

• Flowering time August to November
• Height at maturity 1,40 m

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Datura metel Double White Lady Seeds - Brugmansia

Plant often grown as an annual, well-suited to summer drought in well-drained, fertile soil. Forms a bush of 1 m in all directions, with double white flowers that have a slightly sinister charm, resembling large double cones with 'curled' horns and are highly fragrant. The spiny, ball-shaped fruits, like the rest of the plant, are toxic.

• Flowering time August to November
• Height at maturity 80 cm

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Datura metel Evening Fragrance Seeds - Brugmansia

Beautiful horticultural selection of Datura innoxia, producing large white trumpet flowers shaded with lavender at the edges, exuding a sweet fragrance on summer evenings. A bushy perennial plant often grown as an annual after spring sowing.

• Flowering time August to November
• Height at maturity 1 m

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Datura meteloides La Fleur Lilac Seeds - Brugmansia

Medium plant with highly fragrant mauve flowers. The spiny, ball-shaped fruits, like the rest of the plant, are toxic.

• Flowering time August to November
• Height at maturity 45 cm

See the full description

Planting

Where to Plant Datura?

To plant a Brugmansia in the ground, a mild climate is essential, such as that found around the Mediterranean or along the Atlantic coast. Choose a warm, sunny location sheltered from cold and wind. Brugmansia require a rich, deep soil that is well-watered in summer. However, the soil must be well-drained to help the stump withstand frost (maximum -7°C for Brugmansia sanguinea, known to be the hardiest of the Brugmansia). You can easily grow Brugmansia in a large pot with a diameter of 40 to 50 cm, which can produce plants up to 1.40 m in all directions by the end of the season.

Herbaceous Datura can be sown on a well-sunny bank north of the Loire or in partial shade in the south, in ordinary soil that has been recently turned, even calcareous and dry in summer if it is deep enough. They can help to cleanse polluted soil, colonise fallow land, and the edges of roads. The plant produces a tuberous root that is sensitive to frost and excess water. You can protect the stump with mulch to encourage regrowth the following year or reseed in spring. This plant is hardy in zone 9 (0 to -7°C).

Brugmansia arborea

When to Plant?

Plant or sow Daturas in spring as they need warmth to develop.

How to Plant?

This plant is very easy to grow, whether it is Brugmansia or Datura, although the requirements differ.

Brugmansia aurea, arborea, x candida…

• Soak the pot of Brugmansia in a bucket of water to thoroughly moisten it and untangle the roots if they have started to circle the pot.

• Dig a wide hole at least three times wider than the root ball and up to 50 cm deep.
• Add a few shovelfuls of compost or well-rotted manure, or one to two handfuls of organic fertiliser to the soil. In pots, choose a good potting mix for geraniums, ensuring to place gravel or clay balls at the bottom of the pot to a depth of 5 cm.
• Place the plant in the planting hole.
• Replace the soil and lightly firm it down.
• Water generously and then mulch.

Datura metel, innoxia (meteloides)…

You can grow Datura as a perennial by either purchasing young plants or sowing seeds yourself (see Sowing). You can also cultivate it as an annual, uprooting the plant at the end of summer, either in a container or in the ground.

• Work the soil deeply as the plant prefers disturbed soils.
• Level the area and then dig a hole the size of the root ball.

In pots, create a mix of 2/3 good potting soil to 1/3 river sand for Brugmansias, and 50% potting soil to 50% sand for Daturas.

Datura and Brugmansia Care

• Water Brugmansia generously, as its lush foliage consumes a lot of water. Don’t hesitate to add flowering plant fertiliser if the plant is in a pot.
• You can winter Brugmansia in a moderately warm conservatory between 10 and 15°C or even higher to extend its flowering. If space is limited, a dark room (garage, cellar…) protected from frost is also suitable: the leaves will fall, and you can reduce the branches. The young plant can regrow from the ground if the stems have frozen.

It is possible to reduce the branches before wintering your Brugmansia

• Repot it in autumn or spring into a larger pot, or simply change the surface soil if you are keeping the plant in the same large container.
• Perennial Datura is well adapted to summer drought. Water only if the foliage is completely wilted by the end of the day.
• In winter, protect the stump with a thick mulch that will insulate it from both frost and moisture. Its root is indeed sensitive to excess moisture.
• In pots, watering will need to be frequent.
• Don’t forget to remove the fruits from Daturas before they disperse their seeds to avoid being overwhelmed. Remember to wear gloves and a mask when handling these types of plants. Wash your hands thoroughly after contact.

Multiplication: propagation by cuttings, sowing

The simplest multiplication involves propagating Brugmansia in summer and sowing Datura in February-March.

Propagation by Cuttings

Propagation can be done in a glass of water or in a pot.

• Prepare a deep pot by filling it with potting soil mixed with sand.
• Take cuttings from herbaceous tips about 15 cm long, free of buds or older wood.
• Remove the leaves near the base of the cutting.
• Insert them into the soil for 2/3 of their length, ensuring they do not touch each other.
• Gently firm the soil around to eliminate air pockets and ensure good contact between the potting soil and the cutting.
• Place them in a humid environment in the shade, for example, by covering them with a cut transparent plastic bottle.
• In autumn, separate the rooted cuttings and plant them in pots, keeping them in a greenhouse until spring.

Sowing

Datura seeds can remain in the soil for several years before finding the right conditions for germination.

• Soak Datura seeds in a bowl of lukewarm water for 24 hours.
• Sow in moist potting soil, spacing the seeds 5 cm apart.
• Cover with 5 mm of fine potting soil and lightly firm down with a board.
• Maintain the culture at a temperature of 15 to 20°C in a bright location.
• Germination will take between 21 and 60 days. Growth will be faster afterwards.
• Transplant the seedlings when they reach about 10 cm.
• Water each plant carefully, ensuring no water stagnates in the saucers under the pots.

Flowering occurs in summer, from July to October, approximately 4 months after sowing.

Uses and Associations

Daturas, particularly shrub daturas, are spectacular subjects that are generally placed in isolation in the middle of a lawn or against a sunny wall of the house to enjoy their nocturnal fragrance during summer evenings.

An example of an association in a large pot in the sun: Brugmansia arborea, Petunia Surfinia ‘Snow’, and Helichrysum petiolare at its base

Placed in a container or a large pot, it will stand out on the terrace exposed to full sun with, for example, Mauritanian bindweed (Convolvulus sabatius) or Impatiens to carpet its base. Herbaceous Daturas like Evening Fragrance can enhance the edges of a path alongside Four O’clocks (Mirabilis jalapa), which are also easy to grow as they can regrow from tubercles each year just like Daturas. You can also adorn the base of a small tree such as crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) or cover a newly installed slope by sowing the seeds broadcast.