Sacred Datura

Our featured plant in the What’s Happening in Our Watershed project for September is the Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii). What are those stunningly large, beautiful, trumpet-shaped white flowers visible along roadsides and other open, disturbed sites in our watershed and across the arid Southwest? Sacred Datura is a name that reminds us that this plant, like many plants, are culturally significant for our Native American neighbors.

Sacred Datura is known by many names and is recognized for many purposes. Artists such as Georgia O’Keefe interpreted their beauty in famous paintings. Their flowers open widest at night and spread fragrance to attract their favorite pollinators – large nocturnal hawkmoths. Large, spiny fruits imparted the name thorn-apple. Like most members of the potato family of plants, daturas are highly toxic and even deadly poisonous. A related eastern species is said to have poisoned early European colonists at Jamestown, conferring the shortened name jimsonweed.

Various Native American peoples have given the plant diverse names. Cultural wisdom has made use of the potentially toxic alkaloids found in Sacred Datura for many medicinal and ceremonial purposes. What is a worthless weed to some is beauty, life, and healing to others.

The line drawing below was created by Mady Neufeld. You’re welcome to print out and color the image below. You can also download the file here. For additional information, including photographs and range maps, visit the California Native Plant Society.