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Solanaceae
Angel's Trumpet
Brugmansia
Hidden danger, deceptive beauty, dreams, the spirit world.
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Genus
- Brugmansia
- Native to
- South America (Andes)
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- evergreen shrub or small tree
- Height
- 2–11 m
- Sunlight
- Full sun to partial shade
- Soil
- Rich, moist, well-drained
- Water
- Regular
- Hardiness
- 9–11
- Lifespan
- Perennial
Did you know
- Angel's trumpets are extinct in the wild — every known plant descends from cultivated specimens, likely propagated by Indigenous Andean peoples for centuries.
- The flowers can grow up to 50 cm long and release an intense, intoxicating fragrance at night to attract hawk moth pollinators.
- All parts are extremely toxic — Brugmansia contains scopolamine, atropine, and hyoscyamine, and ingestion has caused death and permanent psychosis.
- Despite the toxicity, Indigenous Amazonian shamans have used Brugmansia ceremonially for spiritual and divinatory purposes for thousands of years.
- Brugmansia was split off from Datura in 1973; the two are commonly confused but Brugmansia flowers hang downward while Datura flowers point up.