Jimson Weed
Datura stramonium (Linnaeus 1753)
Observed/Collected Location: Perdenales River, Pace Bend park, Briarcliff, Travis County, Texas
Date: September 2009
Habitat: Grows well in open sunny areas. Prefers calcareous soils.
Range: Worldwide in tropical, semi-tropical, and semi-arid zones.
Notes: Found covering the bottom of a cove along the Perdenales River at Pace Bend park. Water level was low due to a severe drought. All parts of the plant are poisonous with hallucinogenic properties. Jimson Weed was possibly used by priests of Apollo and Delphi to produce prophecies. Theorized to have been brought westward from the Mediterranean. Currently considered to be a separate species from another Datura with purple flowers and stem, Datura tatula (Linnaeus), which is thought to have originated from Central America. The pictures here may be a hybrid of D. stramonium & D. tatula. Classifying as D. stramonium due to the pale flowers.