Saturday, August 21, 2010



common jimson weed
Datura stramonium
Solanaceae

I really wanted this to be our native western jimson weed (D. wrightii), but alas this is the non-native. The flowers look similar in photos, although I suspect the western jimson weed flowers can get quite large. D. wrightii appears to have smoother leaf margins, whereas D. stramonium leaves are more toothed. I double-checked Fort Ord's plant list to confirm this ID. The seed pods are impressive. It seems the origins of this plant are unclear.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

That looks very much like what we call Thorn Apple.

Wonderful photos throughout Katie.

Katie (Nature ID) said...

Yes, I think ours is also called thorn apple, too.

brendakay said...

I’ve always known it as a moon flower

Katie (Nature ID) said...

Thanks, brendakay! It's fun learning all the names people have for plants.