Thursday, August 5, 2010

Angel's Trumpet: For Your Eyes Only

Angel's Trumpet  (Brugmansia spp.)

These flowers are gorgeous and they look ethereal.  They come in massive explosions as to cover the whole canopy with trumpet-like flowers.   It is tropical in nature but also grows well in other climatic regions.  These pictures were taken from a tree growing in the coastal town of Goleta, California.  There were several trees planted around the hotel where we stayed.

I'm positive that most if not everyone may have, one way or the other, seen this plant somewhere.  The question is how well do you know the plant?  I am compelled to tell anyone about a danger that lurks behind a beautiful facade. 

The Angel's Trumpet tree (Brugmansia spp.) is a solanaceous perennial.  It can grow as a shrub or a tree depending on pruning style. One characteristic of plants in the solanaceae family (a.k.a. nightshade) is the presence of toxic substance.  The Angel's Trumpet is no exception - in fact all parts of this heavenly-looking tree are poisonous when ingested.   

The blameless-appearance of the flowers veils the poisonous attribute of the plant.

Beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers hang all over the tree.

Angel's Trumpet tree:  Almost 20-ft tall.

Brugmansia spp. makes a beautiful specimen and a dreadful poison in your yard.  Enjoy its looks and educate your garden guests about its vicious characters.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I planted this angel trumpet shrub in Ohio, everyone was amazed. It's a sham they don't winter over

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