NATURE

Sacred Datura

A beautiful but deadly wildflower

Sacred Datura flower. Photo taken by the author.

“The sacred datura, through its night-blooming flowers, evokes a feeling of mystery, and it has long been used as a portal to the spirit world, visions, hallucinations and witchcraft — dangerously so.” — Desert USA

Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii) has many names. It’s also called Moonflower, Jimsonweed, Devil’s Trumpet, and more. All parts of this plant are poisonous. Low doses are hallucinogenic while larger doses cause death soon after consuming.

There are several species of this plant and they grow from sea level up to 6,500 feet. We don’t see them very often in Nevada, but we did when we lived in Southeastern Utah, outside of Moab.

Night-blooming flowers

I used to love waiting until sunset to watch these huge white flowers bloom. During the day, the petals stay tightly twisted shut. At sunset, they slowly begin to unfurl. Unless you are watching very closely, it’s easy to miss the moment the flower pops open. The flower opens up to a full six inches long and 3–4 inches wide.