My wife and I recently picked up this strange plant as something of a bargain but can find it in no reference work, nor do any of our gardening friends know what it is. The stem is very dark purple, almost black. As my wife is a childminder we have concerns over toxicity (although even kids would surely not eat something that ugly!) We also would like to know something about the care of the plant, propogation, wintering, (we can get occasional but severe frosts here) and soil requirements. Thanks in advance. From left to right: the flower, the flower on the previous day, the fruit, the leaf
Looks like a Datura (syn. Brugmansia) but I can't figure out exactly which. Jimson weed is a common name for the plant in North America, the seed pods are poisonous as are all other parts of the plant. as little as 1/5 oz (4-5gm) of seeds or leaves can be fatal for a child.
Thanks for the information. I'll look up Datura on some other sites and then make a decision, but it looks like the plant buys the farm! At least it didn't cost a lot. Thanks again.
