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Angel's Trumpet

Datura wrightii (duh-TOO-ruh RITE-ee-eye)

Family: Solanaceae Unknown Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Angel's trumpet is a fast-growing, poisonous ornamental perennial and a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). It is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. Angel's trumpet is found in open or disturbed land and along roadsides with well-drained sandy soils. All parts of the plant are poisonous if consumed. It grows in a sprawling habit, reaching up to 6 feet wide and 2 to 5 feet tall, and the white, trumpet-shaped flowers are 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. This plant is a short-lived perennial in the Southern United States and an annual in the North. It resembles Jimsonweed ( Datura stramonium) ; however, Angel's trumpet is larger, and its fruit has more spines. The genus name, Datura , means "white thorn-apple and is Sanskrit in origin. The specific epithet, wrightii, is in honor of Charles Wright, a botanist in the Southwest. Thrives in full sun and well-drained, acidic soils of loam, sand, or clay. The plant dies back with freezing temperatures. It has a tuberous root, and it will return the following spring. Best propagated by seeds The angel's trumpet has medium-green leaves on the upper surface; the undersides are grayish-green with entire margins. The flowers are large, showy, trumpet-shaped, white, and may be tinted purple. They open in the evening and are withered by noon the next day. Blooming occurs from May through November. Its fruit is a spiny capsule, containing numerous seeds. This plant is the host plant for the larvae of the Carolina Sphinx Moth, Manduca sexta, which is its primary pollinator. Depending on your climate, this plant can be used as an annual or perennial in a border, cottage garden, rock garden, or nighttime garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant insect pests or diseases. All parts of this plant are toxic if ingested. Keep out of reach of children and pets. The sap can cause skin irritation. Use gloves and protective clothing when handling this plant.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 71 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Brugmansia Datura innoxia Datura metel Datura stramonium
Fills a similar niche Clematis virginiana Datura stramonium Ipomoea alba

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Poisonous
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry | Very Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Mounding; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Cordate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire; Undulate
Leaf feel
Velvety
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The leaves are velvety, medium green on the upper surface, grayish-green on the underside, up to 6 inches long and 4 inches wide, and covered with fine downy hairs. The leaves have a foul odor when crushed.
Flower color
Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Trumpet
Flower size
> 6 inches
Flower detail
The large, fragrant, upward-facing, trumpet-shaped flowers are up to 8 inches long and 6 inches across. The blooms are white and may be tinted purple, night-blooming, and wilt by noon the next day. Blooming occurs from May to November. Sphinx and hawk moths are attracted to the blooms.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The fruits are spiny globe-shaped capsules, measuring 1 to 2 inches across, split open when ripe and release black seeds.
Stem color
Gray/Silver; Green
Stem detail
Gray-green stems have fine hairs
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
South Central U.S.A. to Northern Mexico
Distribution
Native: Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, New Mexico, and Texas; Introduced: United States--AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, UT, VA, WA, WV, WI, and WY. France, Greece, New South Wales, Northern Territory, NW Balkan Peninsula, Romania, Sicily, South Australia, Spain, Tunisia, Ukraine, Victoria, and Western Australia.
Wildlife value
Host plant for the larva of the Carolina Sphinx Moth
Attracts
Moths
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule

Edibility

Toxic if ingested

Uses (ethnobotany)

Native Americans used it in religious ceremonies and for medicinal purposes.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Drought Tolerant Garden; Nighttime Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Border; Specimen
Garden tags
#large flowers #nighttime garden #deer resistant #fragrant flowers #white flowers #large leaves #poisonous #moth caterpillar host #moth friendly #problem for dogs #problem for cats #problem for cattle #problem for children #problem for horses #weedy #night blooming #bat friendly
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Problem for Cats; Problem for Children; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Dry Soil; Rabbits
Particularly resistant to
Resistant to damage by deer.
Propagation
Seed
Poison severity
High
Poison parts
Bark; Flowers; Fruits; Leaves; Roots; Sap/Juice; Seeds; Stems
Poison symptoms
Hot, dry, and flushed skin, hallucinations, pupil dilation, headache, delirium, rapid and weak pulse, convulsions, and coma. Skin irritation can occur.
Toxic principle
Tropane alkaloids, atropine, hyoscyamine
Contact dermatitis
Yes
Toxicity summary
High severity poison; parts: Bark; Flowers; Fruits; Leaves; Roots; Sap/Juice; Seeds; Stems; contact dermatitis

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.

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