Datura inoxia
| Datura inoxia | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Datura inoxia (common name: downy thorn apple)
Propagation: Sow the seed in individual pots in early spring in a greenhouse[1]. Put 3 or 4 seeds in each pot and thin if necessary to the best plant. The seed usually germinates in 3 - 6 weeks at 15°c. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Especially in areas with hot summers, it is worthwhile trying a sowing outdoors in situ in mid to late spring.
Cultivation: Prefers a rich light sandy soil[2] and an open sunny position[1]. It is best grown in a fertile calcareous soil[1].
Plants are not very cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c[3]. Plants can be grown outdoors as half-hardy annuals, starting the seed off in a greenhouse.
This species is extremely susceptible to the various viruses that afflict the potato family (Solanaceae), it can act as a centre of infection so should not be grown near potatoes or tomatoes[1].
This species is a commercial source of the alkaloid scopolamine, used in the pharmaceutical industry[4].
Range: South-western N. America.
Habitat: Sandy or gravelly dry open places below 1200 metres in California[5].
Edibility: Fruit - ground up and mixed with clay[6] ( the clay probably has a neutralizing effect on the toxins). A very toxic plant, its use as a food cannot be recommended[K]. The fruit is up to 5cm long and 7cm wide[1].
A stupefying beverage is made from the leaves and roots[6].
Medicinal: All parts of the plant are anodyne, antispasmodic, hallucinogenic, hypnotic and narcotic[7][4]. It has been used in the past as a pain killer and also in the treatment of insanity, fevers with catarrh, diarrhoea and skin diseases[4]. The plant contains several alkaloids, the most active of which is scopolamine[4]. This is a potent cholinergic-blocking hallucinogen, which has been used to calm schizoid patients[8]. The leaves contain 0.52% scopolamine, the calices 1.08%, the stems 0.3%, the roots 0.39%, the fruits 0.77%, the capsules 0.33%, the seeds 0.44% and the whole plant 0.52 - 0.62%[4]. Any use of this plant should be with extreme caution and under the supervision of a qualified practitioner since the toxic dose is very close to the medicinal dose.
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All members of this genus contain narcotics and are very poisonous, even in small doses[1].
Also Known As: D. meteloides. DC.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2. Pan Books, London, 1998.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Emboden, William. Narcotic Plants. Studio Vista, 1979.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.