Arlene Wright-Correll

A Weed by Any Other Name is Not Necessarily a Weed©



Posted: Saturday, September 06, 2008

by
http://www.learn-america.com

We have heard it called jimson weed, ditch weed, mad hatter, loco weed, Korean morning glory, Jamestown weed, thorn apple, angel's trumpet, devil's trumpet, devil's snare, stink weed, devil's seed, crazy tea, malpitte and even zombie cucumber as one person called it one time when they were in my garden.

However, we all know it as Datura or for those who want the Latin name, Datura stramonium. Native to Central America and India, this plant has some pretty interesting things going for it.

It will grow from 1 to 5 feet in height and its stems are quite erect, often forking and are colored purple. The green leaves are large and shaped like 3 to 8 inch oak leaves.

The Datura then decides to grow these amazing egg shaped fruit about the size of a walnut and when they split open they divide into 4 chambers with each chambers containing dozens of small black seeds that will self-sow again. So where do the names jimson weed, ditch weed, mad hatter, loco weed, Korean morning glory, Jamestown weed, thorn apple, angel's trumpet, devil's trumpet, devil's snare, stink weed, devil's seed, crazy tea, malpitte and even zombie cucumber come from? Because all parts of the Datura will give off a terrible foul odor when bruised or crushed.

So why in the world would anyone want to plant this thing? Simply for the large white to purple trumpet-shaped flowers that grow from two to seven inches long, opening and closing at irregular times during the evening infusing it with a lovely fragrance. The nickname for this plant is the moonflower.

Basically, catogarized as an herb, this plant has a history of being used for medicinal purposes since parts of this plant contains scopolamine, atropine and hyoscyamine all of which are extremely dangerous when used by uninformed users.

This is not a flower to have in your garden if you have children running around and playing in it. This is a dangerous plant and when ingested can cause fevers running as high as 105 to 110 degrees and in that range can easily kill one's brain cells.

It is a popular plant that is often ingested by weird people, as a recreational drug, who like its dream-like side effects that can last for days. Who in the world would want to do this, I do not know, but many have.

So think before you plant this in your garden. I have it growing in my garden simply for the beautiful flower and fragrance, but I stay away from the bad parts of it including making sure I never crush or bruise it as it truly is a stink weed.

"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with

Peace, Light and Love,

Author's note: This article was originally written for GreenThumbArticles.com

About the Author & Artist. Arlene Wright-Correll (1935- ___), popular American award winning Artist, published author, columnist, & is the resident art instructor for Avalon Stained Glass School, at the age of 68, decided to pick up her paint brushes again after 54 years and paint.  She is a cancer and stroke survivor who is able to strive forward each and everyday to welcome the beauty of this small planet.  She also is a China & Porcelain painter, Sandblasting & Etching, Stained Glass & fused glass Artisan. She is one of the six KY Artists who worked 6 months to create the dolls for Journey Jots in 2006 and a Smithsonian Institute art exhibit in 2008. Her published books can be found here . She is also a featured writer for GreenThumbArticles.com and teaches Art Vacation Holidays at Avalon Stained Glass School and Creativity Center.

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