Angel’s Trumpets

Family: Solanaceae (sol-uh-nay-see-ee)
Genus: Brugmansia (Brug-man-see-uh)

Brugmansia is a relative of the Tomato and is susceptible to all of the same diseases, Brugmansia which are named are called Cultivars.

Brugmansia is a genus of large, woody, perennial plants in the Solanaceae (Nightshade) family which are most often known as Angel’s Trumpets. The name Angel’s Trumpet refers to the very large flowers which are funnel, tubular, or trumpet shaped. There are currently seven recognized species of Brugmansia and hundreds of hybrids. Some hybrids appear to be naturally occurring.

List of currently recognized species in the genus Brugmansia:

B. arborea

Unlike other species of Brugmansia that flowers in bursts, its flowers develop continually. This plus the fact that the individual flowers have a relatively long flowering period of about six days means that during the summer months this Brugmansia always looks the same.

B. aurea

From the Andes Region of South America. Highly desired for their shape and beauty. A strong grower, with the largest leaves of all the Brugmansia. Aurea has the most robust flowers, which will grow equally well in cool and wet summers. The seed pods are egg shaped and are covered with a cork like shell.

B. candida

Flowers in bursts. A natural hybrid of B Aurea x B Versicolor. First doubles were x Candida.

B. flava

Flava – Yellow. Flava is a cross between Sanguinea and Arborea. The flowers are approx 8 – 10 inches. Flowers have a yellowish green vein.

B. insignis

Once thought to be a natural hybrid, now accepted as a distinct species. Very similar to Suaveolens. Flowers open completely only in the morning. Needs very warm weather to bloom. Rarely used in hybridization.

B. sanguinea

They have small to medium sized flowers. The flowers are tube shaped and are multi coloured. They can be green at the base, yellow or creamy coloured in the middle and red at the end. A temperature of 22C for a long period of time will hinder their growth.

B. suaveolens

This plant comes from mild lowlands of Brazil. It likes to live on the edge of a forest and near a river. This is a good growing Brugmansia. They do not like heavy rain. They are highly fragrant in the evenings. The seed pods are thin and long. They can hold from 40 – 100 plus seeds which are covered with a cork like substance.

B. versicolor

The flowers hang down vertically and can be the largest of all the Brugmansia. The flowers can be 12 – 22 inches long. Versicolor is one of the most sensitive of all the groups. It needs a much higher temperature than any of the others. All Versicolor flowers are white on the first day. They then change to their true colour. Has more flowers than any other Brugmansia. Flowers can last 6-8 days. Seed pods are long and thin. Each pod can hold 50 – 100 seeds.

B. vulcanicola

(Vul-kan-ih-koh-luh) is another naturally occuring Brugmansia and also the most rare of them all. They grow in the Columbia region of South America at very high altitude. They grow like a small tree 12-14 feet. Vulcanicola are difficult to grow in hot climates. Leaves are small.

Brugmansias hail from tropical America with a range throughout Central and South America including some Islands of the Caribbean. Amongst the various species characteristics can vary greatly but they all carry similar traits common to the genus. Brugmansias are long lived, woody, perennials which can attain heights up to 8 meters with a nearly equal spread in some species. Most species and their hybrids have highly fragrant flowers. The flower’s large size, obvious beauty, and intoxicating scent, mainly in the evening, have made them popular garden and container plants throughout the World. There are millions of growers and collectors worldwide and several organizations and groups which cater solely to the genus Brugmansia.

Datura

Angel’s Trumpet is a term most often applied to Brugmansias but sometimes used to describe various species of Datura as well. Most often Daturas are referred to as Devil’s Trumpets or Thornapples. The genus Datura is prescribed to a number of species of herbaceous, mostly annual (although some species form a perennial rootstock and can live for years) plants of a smaller stature than Brugmansia. Datura is also in the Solanaceae family collectively known as Nightshades. There are currently nine recognized species of Datura as well as numerous varieties, sub-species, cultivars, and some hybrids. Daturas range throughout the world from temperate to tropical zones.

List of currently accepted Datura species:

D. ceratocaula

D. discolor

D. ferox

D. inoxia

D. leichhardtii

D. metel

D. quercifolia

D. strammonium

D. wrightii

Datura are native or naturalized throughout much of the world though it is believed that they too originate in the Americas. They are mostly herbaceous annuals which can attain a height of 2+ meters but most species are around 1 meter. They are commonly grown as ornamentals in the garden for their beautiful and often fragrant flowers.

Disclaimer: **** All species of Brugmansia and Datura are toxic. All parts of the plants are toxic with the seeds typically containing the highest concentrations of poisonous tropane alkaloids. Care must be taken when handling these plants and there may be risks to children and pets. Always wash your hands immediately after handling any Brugmansia or Datura! Warn Children to avoid contact!****

Differences between the genus Brugmansia and Datura

Until T.E. Lockwood’s doctoral thesis at Harvard University was published all Brugmansia species were lumped into the similar genus of Datura. Many still lump the genuses together even though the separation has been botanically accepted since 1973. There are distinct differences between Datura and Brugmansia which qualify them for status as separate genera. Most of these differences would only concern a trained botanist so I will stick with the more obvious differences here. Datura species are typically herbaceous annuals though a couple of species, e.g. D. wrightii, are perennial and return each year from a specialized rootstock. Brugmansia species are woody perennials. As such the juvenile growth stages of Datura are short while Brugmansia juvenile stages can be prolonged. All Datura present their flowers in a fully erect position with the corolla pointing skywards while Brugmansia present their flowers from nearly horizontal to fully pendant. One way to remember this is the old gardeners saying: “Angel’s Trumpets point down from heaven; Devil’s Trumpets point up from Hell”. The fruits or seed capsules are vastly different between Datura and Brugmansia as well. In Datura species the seed capsules are typically more or less round and are typically covered in thorns (hence the common name Thornapple) with the exception of those of D. metel which have conical humps rather than thorns and D. ceratocaula which has bald capsules. Brugmansia capsules are typically elongated, some resembling garden bean pods, and do not have any projections on them. Without getting too technical these are the most obvious and visible differences between the two genera.

Hybrid Brugmansia

There are currently hundreds of hybrids of Brugmansia with more being added by growers all of the time. There are also many complex hybrids known as hybrid swarms where one or both parent plants are also a hybrid. Identification of the parentage of hybrids is complicated at best and when dealing with hybrid swarms can be nearly impossible. Not all species of Brugmansia will readily cross with one another while others will cross easily. Some of the more common crosses are given an epithet that denotes the parents of the hybrid. The following is a list of these epithets:

B. x candida denotes a cross between the species B. aurea x B. versicolor

B. x flava denotes a cross between B. arborea x B. sanguinea

Other hybrids are written as the full species names separated by an x. For example: B suaveolens x B. versicolor