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February 22, 2008 : Brugmansia suaveolens
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Keywords: Solanaceae | Brugmansia suaveolens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Bercht. & J. Presl | cultivated in Costa Rica
Starting with today's entry, we welcome Connor Fitzpatrick to BPotD. Connor is a third-year student at UBC, and he's going to be helping me with write-ups and photographs for BPotD over the next ten weeks. He's already been assigned to approach UBC faculty and grad students for a BPotD series on plant research at UBC, for the upcoming Celebrate Research week. Welcome, Connor! — Daniel.
Connor writes:
Thanks for this image submitted by stephenbuchan of Scotland (original via BPotD Flickr Group Pool). It’s greatly appreciated.
A member of the Solanaceae family, this plant’s common names include angel’s trumpet and angel’s tears. It’s not hard to imagine why people commonly name this plant the angel's trumpet. Only a flower like this could look as sweet as it sounds. However, Brugmansia suaveolens isn’t the only species to receive this common name. In fact, looking at GRIN’s records of species for Brugmansia, nearly all have been likened to heavenly brass.
GRIN reports this plant as having a native range throughout Brazil and western South America (Bolivia and Peru). This plant has been used for centuries by people as an antiasthmatic and antispasmodic medication as well as a hallucinogen (see PDF link below). The chemicals in Brugmansia suaveolens responsible for this activity are called tropane alkaloids. They are produced to undertake the role of defence against herbivores. Here (PDF) is an interesting experiment by Zayed & Wink from 2004 regarding the production of tropane alkaloids in Brugmansia suaveolens.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at February 22, 2008 9:53 AM
Comments
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Posted by: bev at February 22, 2008 10:32 AM
I've grown the pink and yellow brugmansias in containers for years now, and every spring they come out of the basement looking like withered sticks and yet 'spring' forth in green every year! Then those heavenly flowers wafting through the air around 5:30 on a summer evening as I sip my red wine on my deck while my husband tends a savoury barbeque dinner on the coals. AAAAAAAHHHHHHH, aren't we lucky?
Posted by: Loey at February 22, 2008 10:51 AM
welcome Connor ... to a great resource - BPotD.
Posted by: Hollis at February 22, 2008 11:16 AM
I am so jealous of Bev and Loey. I love flowers that have a nice scent. My friend grows pots and pots of lilys on her patio, and when the weather gets hot, she puts them under her canopy. To go over there on a hot summer afternoon and sip tea is one of my favorite things to do. Too bad we live in such a cold climate, as she would probably grow these too. They are so beautiful.
Posted by: Sue in Bremerton WA at February 22, 2008 11:29 AM
Sue, don't let the cold northwest climate prevent you from growing these magnificent plants! I live in Pullman (where the climate is much colder) and I have a Brugmansia in my bedroom that perfumes the entire house each night with its blossoms. These plants thrive in pots out of doors in the Puget Sound region from late early May to late September, and during the colder months of the year you can either bring them indoors near a bright window or put them in a cool dark area where they will go dormant to awaken next Spring. They are marvelous on late summer evenings. Good luck!
Posted by: cody at February 22, 2008 11:37 AM
Welcome, Connor!
I have grown a white Datura (a related species, or the same by another name?) for years, in fact it self-seeds a little too easily in my Toronto garden.
Posted by: Barbara Lamb at February 22, 2008 1:12 PM
Welcome Connor and many thanks to the BPotD staff. I am a botanical artist and I have been receiving your daily picutures for two weeks. I am so glad to have found you. Also I shared your site with the Yahoo's Botanical Illustration group site.
Again I thank you,
Linda Miller, Williamsburg VA
Posted by: Linda Miller in Williamsburg VA USA at February 22, 2008 1:29 PM
I love the color of this flower.
I wonder why there's no "raindrops" on surrounding foliage or branches or things in the background? I suspect a spray bottle was used to give the appearance of raindrops.
Posted by: TC at February 22, 2008 2:00 PM
I have just posted to paintings of Brugmansia to my web-site: www.hulseytrustystudios.com. Click on the Ann Trusty Gallery to see.
Many thanks.
Posted by: Ann Trusty at February 22, 2008 2:03 PM
There's nothing like a touch of moisture on a plant's inflorescence to really suggest a certain delicious sumptuousness, isn't there? Works for me every time.
Cold watermelon, anyone?
Welcome Connor!
Posted by: Brent at February 22, 2008 2:05 PM
welcome connor
we did worry we might lose our favorite page
thank you daniel
i live in florida this lovely plant
grows very well here
Posted by: elizabeth a airhart at February 22, 2008 3:55 PM
Thanks for the welcome everyone! I believe I employ the same method as cody to keep my angels trumpet alive throughout the winter.
Posted by: Connor at February 22, 2008 4:20 PM
Brugmansia suaveolens - min. 7 degrees C/45 degrees F - A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, Brickell, Cole, Zuk
Brugmansia brug-man-see-a Shrubs and trees, formerly included in Datura, from which the species differ in having pendulous flowers. suaveolens swah-vee-o-lenz. Sweetly scented. Dictionary of Plant Names, Coombes
Posted by: Beverley at February 23, 2008 9:30 PM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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Welcome, Connor, and thanks for a great write up! And thanks to Stephen for the picture. I grow 2 varieties of this plant in my greenhouse, and another notable feature is its heavenly fragrance, especially at night, when the plant holds its blooms facing more outward, rather than hanging down vertically as during daytime (apparently attributed to pollination by night flying insects). When my plants are in bloom, it permeates the entire room!