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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: IntroducedDicot Annual Herb Subshrub
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

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Datura stramonium

Distribution of Datura stramonium in the United States and Canada:
Map unavailable.
Map courtesy of The Biota of North America Program.
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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:
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Datura stramonium initially published on USWildflowers.com 2011-09-25; Updated 2016-01-27

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All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2024
Photographs Copyright owned by the named photographer



Code Update 20230302