Datura stramoniumJimsonweed |
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Names and MythsDatura Ancient Hindu Dhatura. stramonium Jimsonweed a corruption of Jamestown weed1 |
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Natural history / FolkloreBelieved to have been used by the Delphic oracles1. First found in the new world by the Jamestown Virginia colony. In 1676 soldiers on their way to Jamestown ran out of food and gathered and ate the fruit, the hallucinations that followed were recorded.22 Another source has the soldiers mistaking it for a potherb, most likely Chenopodium, and then having the visions and hallucinations.28 Causes severe hallucinations, rapid heartbeat, dry mouth, most human cases the result of people ingesting it on purpose.19 California Indians gave children potions made from it to induce visions upon reaching puberty.21,22 A salve made from cooked roots and leaves blended with hog fat was used to treat burns.22 |
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DescriptionJuly – October White to bluish flowers. Can grow to 4 feet in height. Roadsides, fields and pastures. |
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