Editing Datura wrightii

{{Short description|Species of plant in southwestern North America}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Sacred datura
| image = Datura wrightii flower2.jpg
| image_caption = Sacred datura in bloom, with opening bud below.
| genus = Datura
| species = wrightii
| authority = [[Eduard August von Regel|Regel]]
}}

'''''Datura wrightii''''', commonly known as '''sacred datura''', is a [[poison]]ous [[perennial plant]] species and [[ornamental plant|ornamental]] flower of the family [[Solanaceae]] native to the [[Southwestern United States]] and northwestern [[Mexico]]. It is sometimes used as a [[Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants|hallucinogen]] due to its psychoactive [[alkaloids]].  ''D. wrightii'' is classified as an [[anticholinergic]] [[deliriant]].<ref name=Garcia>{{cite book |author1=Cecilia Garcia |author2=James D. Adams | title=Healing with medicinal plants of the west - cultural and scientific basis for their use | publisher=Abedus Press| year=2005 | isbn=0-9763091-0-6}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
German botanist [[Eduard August von Regel]] described the species in 1859 from material collected in Texas by botanist [[Charles Wright (botanist)|Charles Wright]],<ref name="sagov">{{cite web |title=Factsheet - Datura wrightii |url=http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/efsa/lucid/Solanaceae/Solanaceae%20species/key/Australian%20Solanaceae%20species/Media/Html/Datura_wrightii.htm |website=Flora of South Australia |publisher=South Australian Herbarium |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> and named it after him. The correct spelling since is with one "i", per ICN article 60C.2.<ref>International Code of Nomenclature, Article 60C.2, http://www.iapt-taxon.org/nomen/main.php?page=art60#60C.2 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116063635/https://www.iapt-taxon.org/nomen/main.php?page=art60#60C.2 |date=2021-11-16 }}</ref>

The scientific name has frequently been given as ''Datura meteloides'' [[Michel Félix Dunal|Dunal]],<ref name=Niehaus/> but this name is actually a synonym of ''[[Datura innoxia|D. innoxia]]'' [[Philip Miller|Mill.]], a Mexican plant with a narrower flower having 10 rather than five "teeth" at the rim.<ref name=Cronquist/>

Common names in the US include "sacred thorn-apple" or "hairy thornapple",<ref name="sagov"/> and sometimes "western [[Jimson weed]]"<ref name=Niehaus/> because of its resemblance to ''[[Datura stramonium]]'' due to both species having toothed leaves. [[English-speaking world|Anglophone]] settlers in [[California]] often called it "Indian whiskey" because of its ritual intoxicating use by many tribes; the name "sacred datura" has the same origin. Other common names include "Indian apple",<ref name=Cronquist/> "California jimson weed" and "nightshade" (not to be confused with ''[[Solanum]]''). The [[Tongva people|Tongva]] call it ''manit'' and the [[Chumash (tribe)|Chumash]] ''momoy''. In Mexico, people call this and similar species ''tolguacha''.<ref name=Cronquist/> or ''toloache''.<ref>[http://www.devils-punchbowl.com/pages/wildflowers/solanaceae/toloache.html Toloache (Jimson Weed)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061028081948/http://www.devils-punchbowl.com/pages/wildflowers/solanaceae/toloache.html |date=2006-10-28 }} from Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area, accessed 16 June 2006</ref>

==Description==
It is a vigorous herbaceous [[perennial plant|perennial]]<ref name=Cronquist>{{cite book |author1=Arthur Cronquist |author2=Arthur H. Holmgren |author3=Noel H. Holmgren |author4=James L. Reveal |author5=Patricia K. Holmgren |title=Intermountain Flora; Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A., vol. 4. Subclass Asteridae (except Asteraceae) |publisher=The New York Botanical Garden |year=1984 |isbn=0-231-04120-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/intermountainflo0000unse }}</ref> that grows 30&nbsp;cm to 1.5 m tall and wide.<ref name=Niehaus>{{cite book |author1=Theodore F. Niehaus |author2=Charles L. Ripper |author3=Virginia Savage |title=A Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |year=1984 |isbn=0-395-36640-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetosout00nieh }}</ref>  The leaves are broad and rounded at the base, tapering to a point, often with wavy margins. The flowers are the most striking feature, being sweetly fragrant white trumpets up to {{convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, sometimes tinted purple, especially at the margin. Five narrow points are spaced symmetrically around the rim. The plants often can be seen as a ground vine in habit, growing close to the ground and spreading in a very exposed environment with full direct sunlight (cleared roadside).  ''D. wrightii'', blooms from April through October.<ref name=Cronquist/>  In clear weather, flowers open in the morning and evening and close during the heat of the day (depending on water availability); in cloudy weather, they may open earlier and last longer.

The seeds are borne in a spiny, globular capsule 3 to 4&nbsp;cm in diameter, which opens when fully ripe.<ref name=Cronquist/>
[[File:Datura wrightii seeds.png|thumb|Seeds]]

In Europe ''D. wrightii'' has often been confused with ''[[Datura innoxia]]'' as both are hairy with hanging spined fruits. They can be differentiated by the hairs on the stems and stalks, which for ''D. wrightii'' are densely appressed (visually and in photos this makes the stems look near-uniformly dull) and for ''D. innoxia'' projecting (making the stems dull at the edges and brighter, greener or shiny along the centre where the hairs project toward the eye). The flowers of ''D. wrightii'' are larger (14-26 cm) and have 5 cusps, with stigmas above the anthers often exserted, vs. ''D. innoxia'' smaller (12-16 cm) with often 10 cusps and stigmas below the anthers. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://alienplantsbelgium.myspecies.info/sites/alienplantsbelgium.be/files/2660771.pdf |title=Datura wrightii (Solanaceae), a neglected xenophyte, new to Spain |author=Filip Verloove}}</ref> and [https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=gn&name=Datura NSW Key]

==Distribution and habitat== 
''Datura wrightii'' is found in northern [[Mexico]] and the adjoining southwestern [[United States|U. S.]] states, as far north as Eastern Washington, in open / disturbed land and along roadsides  with well-drained (sandy) soils.<ref name=Cronquist/> However it is perhaps most naturally abundant in the region of [[Southern California]]. It is also commonly planted as an ornamental, especially in [[xeriscape]]s due to its [[ruderal species|ruderal]] characteristics.

[[Image:Datura wrightii seed pods.jpg|thumb|left|Prickly [[capsule (fruit)|seed capsules]]]]

===Invasive status===
In Australia, it has been recorded as a garden escapee in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.<ref name="sagov"/>

==Toxicity==
{{Main|Datura#Toxicity|l1=Datura (Toxicity)}}
All parts of ''Datura'' plants contain dangerous levels of [[anticholinergic]] [[tropane alkaloids]] and may be fatal if ingested by humans, livestock, or pets. In some places, it is prohibited to buy, sell or cultivate ''Datura'' plants.<ref name='Preissel'>{{cite book | last1 = Preissel | first1 = Ulrike | last2 = Preissel | first2 = Hans-Georg | title = Brugmansia and Datura: Angel's Trumpets and Thorn Apples | publisher = Firefly Books | date = 2002 | location = Buffalo, New York | pages = 120–123 | isbn = 1-55209-598-3 }}</ref> Unlike other types of datura, the roots are considered the most potent and alkaloid-rich part of this species.

==Uses==
[[File:Hohokam Sacaton red-on-buff plate, crica 950-1150 AD.JPG|thumb|Unfolding Sacred Datura buds painted on a [[Hohokam]] Sacaton red-on-buff plate, ca. 950-1150 AD. This was a common decorative motif on ancient Native American pottery. Note the opening spiral of the bud on the photo at top of this page.]]

===Medicinal===
Among the [[Zuni people]], the powdered root is given as an [[anesthetic]] and a [[narcotic]] for surgery. They also apply a [[poultice]] of root and flower meal applied to wounds to promote healing.<ref>Stevenson, Matilda Coxe 1915 Ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians. SI-BAE Annual Report #30 (p. 46, 48)</ref> The Zuni used ''Datura'' as a way to render patients [[Unconsciousness|unconscious]] while broken bones were set.<ref>{{cite book |author=Turner, Matt W. |title=Remarkable Plants of Texas: Uncommon Accounts of Our Common Natives |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-292-71851-7 |page=209 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pIXpf4RRA1IC&pg=PA209}}</ref>

===Religious===
[[Southern California]] has been the site of various toloache (datura) based [[Native American religions|religions]]. ''Datura wrightii'' is [[sacred]] to some [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] and has been used in ceremonies and [[rite of passage|rites of passage]] by Chumash, Tongva, and others. Among the Chumash, when a boy was 8 years old, his mother gave him a preparation of ''momoy'' to drink. This was supposed to be a spiritual challenge to the boy to help him develop the spiritual well-being required to become a man. Not all of the boys survived.<ref name=Garcia/> The Zuni people also use the plant for [[ceremonial]], [[magic (supernatural)|magical]], and [[divinatory]] purposes. The root pieces are chewed by a robbery victim to determine the identity of the thief. The powdered root is also used by rain priests in a number of ways to ensure fruitful rains.<ref>Stevenson, p.88</ref>

===Recreational===
''Datura wrightii'' has also been used to induce hallucination for recreational purposes. Internal use of the plant material can induce auditory and visual hallucinations similar to those of ''[[Datura stramonium]]'', with the active compounds being concentrated in the [[capsule (fruit)|seed capsules]] and [[root]]s; concentrations vary widely between samples, and onset is slow. This makes dosage estimation difficult and adds further risk to the administration of material that already has potentially lethal side effects. [[Scopolamine]] is the primary active molecule; it is related to [[atropine]], with a similar, largely [[anticholinergic]] activity. Effects may include dry mouth, [[hyperthermia]], profuse sweating, decreased sweating, impairment, drowsiness, restlessness, lethargy, illusions, changes in [[visual perception]], [[delirium]], [[psychosis]] and [[anterograde amnesia]] - along with the afore-mentioned hallucinations and sensory distortions. These compounds also induce a profound [[mydriasis]] and suppress eye [[saccades]], resulting in considerable degradation of [[visual acuity]], often to the point of [[Visual impairment|functional blindness]]. This may persist, to a reduced degree, for days. The combined effect may result in a panic state in the user, a particularly dangerous situation in someone temporarily deprived of useful vision; users are prone to serious accidental injury. Scopolamine induces respiratory depression at hallucinogenic doses. The combination of anesthesia (in the hospital) and ''Datura'' is usually fatal due to combined respiratory depression.<ref name=Garcia/> [[Seizure]]s as well as fevers as high as {{convert|43|°C|°F|abbr=on}} have been reported.

==In popular culture==
The American artist [[Georgia O'Keeffe]] (1887–1986) painted "jimson weed" several times. She was fond of the flowers, which grew wild around her New Mexico house. These paintings of the exotic white pinwheel blooms, hugely magnified, are among her most familiar works.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/press/press-releases/tate-modern-show-iconic-flower-painting-georgia-okeeffe |title=Tate Modern to show iconic flower painting by Georgia O'Keeffe |publisher=Tate |date=1 March 2018 |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref> In 2014 [[Jimson Weed (painting)|one such painting sold for $44 million]], a record price for a female artist's work.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://daily.jstor.org/georgia-okeeffe-and-the-44-million-jimson-weed/ |title=Georgia O'Keeffe and the $44 Million Jimson Weed |last=Rile |first=Karen |publisher=JStor Daily |date=1 December 2014 |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref> Given the location of O'Keeffe's residence in the New Mexico desert, it is likely that she saw 'western' jimson weed.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

The plant is an element of [[Hunter S. Thompson]]'s 1971 [[roman à clef]] novel, ''[[Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream]]''. In part 2, chapter 5 of the book, a jimsonweed experience is recounted by the character [[Oscar Zeta Acosta|Dr. Gonzo]] as described here: "Last Christmas somebody gave me a whole Jimson weed – the root must have weighed two pounds; enough for a year – but I ate the whole goddamn thing in about twenty minutes... Luckily, I vomited most of it right back up. But even so, I went blind for three days. Christ I couldn't even walk! My whole body turned to wax. I was such a mess that they had to haul me back to the ranch house in a wheelbarrow... they said I was trying to talk, but I sounded like a raccoon."<ref>Thompson, Hunter (1971). ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream''</ref> Due to the fact that Dr. Gonzo presumably lived in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]] during this time, this encounter was likely also with the "western jimsonweed" species as well. It could have also been ''[[Datura innoxia]]'', but since the author has passed, we may never know which he intended.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-02-21 |title=Hunter S. Thompson, 67, Author, Commits Suicide (Published 2005) |work=The New York Times |language=en |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/21/books/hunter-s-thompson-67-author-commits-suicide.html |access-date=2023-08-10 |last1=O'Donnell |first1=Michelle }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikispecies}}
* [http://ibrugs.com/ International Brugmansia and Datura Society - extensive information on species, cultivation, etc.]
* [https://archive.today/20121210121623/http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?where-genre=Plant&where-taxon=Datura+wrightii Datura wrightii at CalPhotos]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1897331}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Datura|wrightii]]
[[Category:Deliriants]]
[[Category:Flora of the California desert regions]]
[[Category:North American desert flora]]
[[Category:Flora of the Southwestern United States]]
[[Category:Native American culture]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Eduard August von Regel]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1859]]
[[Category:Flora without expected TNC conservation status]]