Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Subfamily: Solanoideae
Tribe: Datureae
Genus: Brugmansia
Species: Brugmansia ×candida. Brugmansia ×candida is a hybrid between Brugmansia aurea with Brugmansia versicolor. Since this hybrid can be found growing the wild in nature it is, therefore, a "natural hybrid".
Synonyms: Datura candida, Datura brugmansia
Common names: Angel's trumpet, White Angel's Trumpet,
All parts are extremely toxic. The roots, stems, flowers, leaves and seeds contain the chemicals atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine in varying concentrations.
Brugmansia is native to tropical regions of South America, along the Andes Mountains from Venezuela to northern Chile, and also in south-eastern Brazil where it grows on sloping terrain under damp conditions. They are grown as ornamental container plants worldwide and have become naturalized in isolated tropical areas around the globe, including within New Zealand in waste areas, forest margins and near settled areas.
Brugmansia candida is a soft, woody evergreen perennial shrub <3m tall. Young stems, leaves and calyx are almost glabrous or sparsely hairy in some forms. Large ovate, soft alternate dark green leaves are covered in fine hairs.
It has white, pendant, and trumpet-like flowers 20-30 cm long and 99% of them point down and are night-scented. Flowers are produced all year round. The colours can be red, pink, orange, yellow and white. Pretty much anything but blue or purple.
Brugmansia candida rarely fruits so dispersal is usually not by seeds but from cuttings and garden rubbish.
Their seed pods can be just about any shape.
Though not a legally declared pest plant, its main impact on the environment is that the plant is poisonous to humans and animals. All parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested or absorbed through the mucous membranes. Be careful to not rub your eyes after touching Brugmansia. The poisonous principle is tropane alkaloids, notable scopolamine and atropine. In humans, atropine induces toxic psychosis, delirium, convulsions and violent behaviour. The signs and symptoms are a staggering gait, recumbency (lying down), dilated pupils and rapid respiration rate, hallucination, delirium, thirst, dilation of the pupils, irritability and gastroenteritis.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and Information: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
