Datura wrightii – “Sacred Datura”

Also Known As: Thorn-Apple, Jimson Weed, Angel’s Trumpet, Moonflower
Other Botanical Names: Datura meteloides
Family: Nightshade (Solonaceae)
Bloom Period: Feb-Oct
Form: Perennial herbaceous herb
Habitat: Washes, roadsides and other disturbed areas
Leaves: Ovate, wavy-margined and pointy-tipped, sometimes lobed, with an odor somewhat like peanut-butter
Translation: “Datura” is derived from the Hindi word “dhattūra” (धत्तूर) meaning “white thorn apple,” which describes the fruit; “wrightii” is named for Charles Wright (1811-1885), a U.S. botanist.
Notes: Large white trumpet flowers open in the evening, stay open all night, and wilt in the morning; hence the name, “Moonflower.” The flowers give off a sweet, narcotic odor, but the leaves smell rank. All parts of the plant, including the nectar, contain alkaloids responsible for its notorious mind-altering effects. These alkaloids can be deadly and, since their concentration varies from plant to plant, estimating an effective but non-lethal dosage is very tricky. Consumption is not recommended without the guidance of a knowledgeable person.
Native American Uses: Sacred Datura was used by many Native American tribes, whose cultural connection with the natural world in general and knowledge of this plant in particular allowed them to explore its properties extensively and, most importantly, safely. According to Moerman, it is the “most universally used hallucinogenic and medicinal plant known to humans.” Narrowing it down to the tribes in and around Joshua Tree Country: it was applied topically or taken internally to treat broken bones or sprains and the associated pain and swelling by the Cahuilla, Kawaiisu, Kayenta, and Tübatulabal; taken as a narcotic (sleep-inducer) by the Mahuna, Kayenta, Ramah, Paiute, and Shoshone; and used as an anti-venom for bites from snakes, spiders or insects by the Cahuilla and Mahuna.
Focusing on particular tribes: the Cahuilla used the powdered leaves for toothaches and inhaled the vapor of the steaming leaves for lung and nasal congestion, the Western Keres treated boils with a poultice of crushed leaves, the Paiute took a decoction of the roots for blood poisoning in the feet, and the Tübatulabal used it for intestinal bloat and constipation. Recreationally, the Cahuilla used it to enhance perception while playing a gambling game with bones, sticks and blankets called “peon” and the Western Keres smoked the leaves like tobacco. As veterinary medicine, preparations of the plant were used by the Cahuilla for saddle-sores, by the Ramah as an eyewash and lotion, and by the Navajo to clean the castration wounds of sheep. It was consumed for success in hunting by the Cahuilla, Ramah, and Yavapai.
Shamanic use was performed by the Cahuilla, Hopi, Kawaiisu, Luiseño, Ramah, Paiute and Shoshone. Puberty rites for males involving the plant were performed by the Kumeyaay, Kawaiisu, and Luiseño. Regarding shamanic use and the Cahuilla, Moerman had this to say: “Datura offered the shaman not only a means to transcend reality and come into contact with specific guardian spirits,it also enabled him to go on magical flights to other worlds or transform himself into other life forms such as the mountain lion or eagle. such magical flights were a necessary and routine activity for Cahuilla shaman. A shaman might use the drug to visit the land of the dead, returning to the profane world with information useful to his people, or he might pursue a falling star to recapture a lost soul and return it to its owner.”
Animal Associations: Pollinated by the White-Lined Sphinx moth. Host plant for Carolina Sphinx moth.