Datura wrightii

Last year I found some seeds for Datura wrightii that were three years out of date which I sowed. Good rate of germination and I then did a bit of research. It turned out that D.wrightii is unusual in as much as it grows a tuber which can be treated like a Dahlia tuber.

I kept three plants back for myself;
One was grown in a large pot as I usually would. At the end of the season I lifted the tuber and stuck it in the garage. I intend to pot it back up in April.
The second was grown in a small pot and left outdoors over the winter. Much as I expected it looks dead.
The third was also grown in a 10cm pot. I then bought it indoors, dried it out and shoved it under the stairs. At the beginning of February I soaked it and put it in the corner of the conservatory. The photo below shows it today..............

 

Good for you longk.

I've bought some seed of D. metaloides this year, I've grown it before, it also forms a tuber but I've only ever once managed to overwinter the tubers.
I heavily mulched a plant one winter and it came through.

I'm also struggling to see the difference between D. metaloides, D. innoxia and possibly your, D. wrightii.

I'm thinking metaloides is lower and scrambles along the ground, flowers and leaves are very similar though.

 

Pete - D. metaloides is not a recognized name and has been applied to many Datura species. I have seen T&M use it for their D.metel seeds.

So, of the three that I've grown..........

D.stramonium has irregular "serrated" leaves (which are a lighter green) and the smallest flowers. It grows the tallest (up to a metre and a half).

D.metel has the largest leaves which are regular in shape. The flowers are 10cm (ish) across, and it is the most free flowering. This is one of the parents for the double purple hybrids. Grows to about a metre in height, 0.8 metre wide.

D.wrightii is the only one that I've found a conventional tuber on. Brugmansia sized blooms on a plant that grows to about 0.6/0.8 metre in its first year. Spreads a metre or more sideways. Smaller regular leaves.

I've over-wintered D.metel before, but found it a little disappointing in its second year, so I'm interested in how D.wrightii will perform. I've got seedlings germinating too to get a fair comparison.

 

I bought what is called D. metaloides from Chilterns, they claim it is an RHS award winner.????
They also stock D. inoxia, I've grown both and only found growth habit to be different.

D. metel is a totally different plant from the other side of the world, as far as I know, and not a desert plant.

T&M, ? would not touch them with a barge pole.
Only buy my onion seed from them.:D

Found this http://www.erowid.org/plants/datura/datura_inoxia.shtml

 

That is confusing! Here is the RHS AGM list full from 2010, listing D.inoxia on page 54 as having the AGM (02P), and D.meteloides after it tagged "see D.inoxia".

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Plant-trials-and-awards/Plant-awards/AGM-plants/AGMPlants2010FullText

It has taken me ages to find the next two links! I saved them when it was explained to me that "D.meteloids is not recognized" somewhat forcefully on another forum (I rarely go there now!). Anyway, these were the links that they gave me (and I saved in my "work" bookmarks for some odd reason!)

An overview of the Brugmansia Family

Search results

I can only pass on what I was given.
I wasn't going to grow D.metel this year, but perhaps we should do a back to back comparison? Could be interesting.........

 

Well thanks for the research Longk, I've been confused for years about metaloides and inoxia.
When you came up with wrightii it looked very similar to me, tuber and all.

I tend to think botanists spend most of their time arguing about the naming of plants, lets face it, if they didn't they wouldn't have much else to do.

If I get some plants going we can compare at some point in the summer.

I'm thinking these kind of Daturas have probably got quite a bit of natural variation any way.

 

The other distinguishing feature of wrightii that I noticed is that the main stem of the plant is much thinner - too thin for the huge blooms really!

I'm still as confused as you - have I really been growing metel all these years? After all, one packet of seeds lasts a lifetime with Datura.

Climate and other factors are said to produce considerable variation in Datura.

 

Strange you should say that about the seeds.

As I've not found them to be particularly good at lasting.
Maybe I'm not storing them right.

Or are you referring to the fact that they produce so much seed for further years.

 

Well, the D.wrightii seeds that I sowed last year had a use by date of 2008.
Found them in THAT draw that every house has.

But yes, let just one seed pod develop every year and you're sorted! I bought D.metel about ten years ago.

 

Hiya chums.

Sorry to butt in, but I've been thinking about trying these Datura/Brugmansia thingies. I'm looking for something reliable and uncomplicated. Any suggestions?

Cheers...Freddy.

 

You're not butting in! In fact, you could be just the job for the conversation that has gone before. I can send you seed for D.metel and wrightii, Pete can send you any spare seed and you can do the controlled comparisons for us!!!:yess:

Seriously though.........
Datura sown now should be blooming by mid July really. Very easy, and without the need for the huge pots that Brugs need.
I love Brugmansia, but they take up a lot of my winter space.
I can send you seeds if you're interested Freddy.

 

This perhaps? £3.85 for 50 seeds (post free I think)

Datura Angels Trumpet (Brugmansia suaveolens) - Moles Seeds

 

That's a cracking price Kristen!

 

Moles Seed tend to do "more-seed for the price", their range is a bit limited on some things, but they also have some things that appeal to growers raising for selling bedding plants. Ensete Bananas for example :thumb:

Not quite sure where Brugmansia fits in - can't see growers raising them for sale - they take 6 months to flower and are than 9' tall !!

 

I have an excellent book called "Brugmansia and Datura" by Preissel. The English version came out at about £12 a couple of years ago but sold out very quickly. Its now out of print and I see Amazon is advertising copies at £107 A summary from the book :-

metel - is an annual which has fruit that is nobbly but not spiney like almost all other species. This is the species that is most frequently cultivated. The flowers can be very varied, single or double, 5 to 9 peaks, pure white, cream, yellow, red or violet.

inoxia - some plants were known as meteloides but were deemed to be the same as inoxia and the name was dropped. The book says that inoxia is very similar to wrightii which was seperated out from inoxia because of slight differances. They are both perennial and form rhizomes, which can be overwintered like Dahlia tubers. The fruits look identical in the book and are both very spiney.

wrightii -the book describes it as having tuberous fleshy rootstock. Flowers are rarely pure white - usually violet to pale violet. The flower has 5 clear peaks (ie pointy bits). The main difference is that inoxia has only small peaks between the 5 main peaks on the flowers edge, but wrightii has 5 pronounced interacuminal (yes it really is called that) peaks and as a consequence is sometimes described as a flower with 10 peaks.