Sacred thorn-apple (Plants of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque)

Sacred thorn-apple

datura wrightii

Summary ⁶

Datura wrightii (sacred datura) is a perennial herb and ornamental flower of the United States southwest. It is has been used as a hallucinogen (sometimes with deadly consequences) and is classified as a deliriant and an anticholinergic. This plant can cause contact dermatitis and should never be consumed internally.

Botanical Information ⁷

The sacred thornapple’s scientific name is Datura wrightii. Its Spanish name is manzana espina sagrada. It belongs to the tomato family, Solanaceae. It is a perennial herb, meaning it will grow back from its roots for multiple years. It grows up to 1.5 meters tall. Its foliage is malodorous and has short hairs. The leaves are big and oval-shaped, growing up to 5-20 cm long, and are grey-green in color. The flower is long and white and trumpet-shaped. The seeds of the sacred thorn apple are contained in what looks like an apple combined with a cactus with a lot of spikes around it. The sacred thorn apple isn’t edible.

Ecological Information ⁷

The sacred thorn apple grows in the southern part of the United States and northern Mexico. The plant’s favorite habitat is areas with dry, sandy and often disturbed soil. The fragrant flowers open at night and are pollinated by nocturnal hawk moths. It is important to be careful around this plant because all parts of her contain potentially toxic alkaloids.

Ethnobotanical Information ⁸

The Apache people of the white mountains made an intoxicating, fermented drink out of the juice or powdered roots used in religious medicine ceremonies. This extract was also used by them as a disinfectant for external wounds. The powdered leaves were used by the Cahuilla people as an analgesic, applied as an ointment externally to reduce pain. (Note: Such reports often lack important contextual information and relevant traditional ecological knowledge.) Sacred thorn apple is a poisonous plant and if you eat it, it could lead to death, so it is advised to take precaution when interacting with this plant.

References ⁹

http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/1244/
Bosque Field Guide
Cartron, Lightfoot, Mygatt, Brantley, Lowrey. (2008). A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque. (p. 99). New Mexico, University of New Mexico Press.

About the Author ¹⁰

Student author(s)*: Daniel and Bryan (age 13) from South Valley Academy

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

(c) Clinton & Charles Robertson, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/20087733@N00/265853429
(c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/7752435196/
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/19788454380/
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/19981669911/
(c) stonebird, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/stonebird/33347697/
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_wrightii
Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

Range Map

iNat Map

Color	white
Fruit	spiky
Type	herb

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