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Angel's Trumpets

Datura Stramonium

I was quite surprised to find this plant being sold in the market as a decorative house plant. Actually this particular species, Datura Stramonium, grows wildly on the edges of farm fields in India and in all the places of tropical climate. The common names for this plant are "Angels' trumpets" (pretty trumpet-like flowers as seen in the photograph), "thorn apple" (because of thorny fruit). This plant is listed as one of the "poisonous house plants" as consuming the seeds from thorny fruit can cause toxicity and even result in death as it contains alkaloids like Atropine, Hyoscine, Hyosciamine.

Photograph by
P Rao Pulakhandam
July 9, 2005