Hoary thorn-apple
StarDatura metel
Synonyms: Stramonium datura, Datura alba, Datura hummatu var. muricata, Datura hummatu var. fastuosa, Datura metel var. flaviflora, Datura metel var. rubra, Datura metel var. muricata, Stramonium metel, Stramonium infernale, Datura hummatu var. rubra, Brugmansia suaveolens var. flore-albo-pleno, Datura metel var. obscura, Datura trapezia, Datura fastuosa var. alba, Datura fastuosa var. glabra, Datura hummatu, Datura fastuosa var. rubra, Datura chlorantha atroviolacea-plenissima, Datura waymanii, Datura metel var. fastuosa, Stramonium fastuosum, Datura cornucopia, Datura nanakii, Datura chlorantha, Datura alba var. africana, Datura fastuosa var. flaviflora, Datura nigra, Datura metel var. viola, Datura metel var. dentata, Datura nilhummatu, Datura metel f. pleniflora, Datura aegyptiaca, Brugmansia chlorantha, Datura fastuosa var. tuberculata, Brugmansia waymanii, Datura cornucopaea, Datura fastuosa, Datura fruticosa, Datura bojeri, Datura timoriensis, Datura carthaginensis, Datura humilis, Datura fastuosa var. parviflora
Western Herbalism Properties
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Botanical Description
Datura metel (hoary thorn-apple, devil's trumpet) is a robust annual or short-lived perennial herb (sometimes growing shrub-like) in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), reaching 0.5–2 m. The stems are stout and often purplish, bearing large, ovate, softly hairy leaves with shallowly toothed or entire margins. The striking, fragrant flowers are large, erect, trumpet-shaped and up to 15–20 cm long, ranging from white to violet and frequently double-flowered in cultivated forms. The fruit is a rounded capsule covered in numerous short, blunt tubercles or soft spines, splitting irregularly to release flattened brown seeds. Probably of South Asian or Chinese origin, it is now pantropical and widely naturalised in warm regions worldwide, growing in waste ground, roadsides, and disturbed soils. EXTREME TOXICITY: all parts contain tropane alkaloids (scopolamine, hyoscyamine, atropine) and can cause fatal anticholinergic poisoning.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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