Wildflowers of the United States
Home Journal Family Index - All States Photo Albums News About Privacy

Jimsonweed, Jamestown Weed, Mad Apple, Moon Flower, Stinkwort, Thorn Apple, Devil's Trumpet - Datura stramonium


Family: Solanaceae – Potato family Genus Common Name: Jimsonweed Native Status: Introduced
Datura stramonium - Jimsonweed, Jamestown Weed, Mad Apple, Moon Flower, Stinkwort, Thorn Apple, Devil's Trumpet. This purple-stemmed, introduced species is found in every state in the United States except Alaska and Wyoming, and is also found in much of Canada, and indeed throughout warm and moderate regions of the entire world. It is a banned weed in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and is listed as an invasive by authoritative sources in most of the United States. In addition to being invasive, it is toxic, with the level of toxicity varying from plant to plant, and even from day to day in the same plant. Ingestion can be fatal. Toxicity is a common feature of plants in the Solanaceae (Nightshade / Potato) family.

The name Jimsonweed, a variant of Jamestown weed, originated because British soldiers were drugged with it near Jamestown, Virginia in 1675 by local farmers during Bacon's Rebellion, an inauspicious page in North American history, about which I had no knowledge until researching this plant.

Found in:
AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV
Distribution of Datura stramonium in the United States and Canada:
USDA Plants Distribution Map
Blue=Native; Grey=Introduced

Map from USDA Plants Database:
USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 25 May 2013). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Search Our Database of Species
Enter any portion of the Scientific
or Common Name (or both)
Scientific name:
Common name:

Example: Enter "lob" in the common name field and you'll get all our species that have "lobelia" in the common name, as well as "sharp-lobed hepatica".




Follow on Twitter
Follow USWildflowers on Twitter


Site: Blue Hole Area, Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA Date: 2011-September-24Photographer: Gerald C. Williamson
Nikon D7000
Tamron SP 90MM f/2.8 AF Macro
Jimsonweed has a fairly large white to lavender blossom which appears funnel-shaped from the side, and a folded star-shaped from the top.
Datura stramonium
Site: Blue Hole Area, Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA Date: 2011-September-24Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D7000
Tamron SP 90MM f/2.8 AF Macro
Leaves are alternate, 3 to 6 inches or more long, and very coarsely toothed. The plant can grow up to 5 feet tall.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Datura stramonium
References used for identification and information:

Looking for Wildflowers for a specific state? Check here:



All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2013
Photographs Copyrighted by the named photographer