This night-blooming flower grows like a weed in Arizona.  Here, Donna Memon captured a trumpet glowing in the setting sun.

Datura grows easily in the Arizona desert and is cultivated around the world.  There are currently nine species, many of which are hard to identify because the plant changes its characteristics to suit the growing conditions.  Its common names include jimsonweed, moonflower and angel’s trumpets.

Though beautiful it is extremely poisonous, producing hallucinations, elevated body temperature, tachycardia, severe pupil dilation, unconsciousness and death.  Thus it was surprising to me that it’s called “sacred datura” in Arizona because Navajo and Havasupai shamans used low doses for religious hallucinations.

The proper dose is hard to determine and if you get it wrong you die.  The correct amount varies — even in the same plant — based on age, soil conditions and local weather.  Despite the warnings people try it and, as Wikipedia says, “Few substances have received as many severely negative recreational experience reports as has Datura. The overwhelming majority of those who describe their use of Datura find their experiences extremely unpleasant both mentally and often physically dangerous.”

The angel’s trumpet is beautiful but a deadly way to see angels.

Read more here at Wikipedia.

(photos by Donna Memon)