Jimson Weed

Did you know

• All parts are highly toxic, containing tropane alkaloids including atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine.
• The common name comes from 'Jamestown', after 1676 when British soldiers in Virginia were accidentally drugged for 11 days.
• Spiny seedpods called 'thorn apples' split open in fall, releasing dozens of black kidney-shaped seeds.
• The trumpet flowers open at dusk and release a heavy lemon-vanilla fragrance to attract sphinx moths.
• Used ritually for centuries by Indigenous peoples of the Americas, despite its very narrow margin of safety.

Color meanings

Uses

• pharmacology research
• traditional ritual use (historic)