I received word from a famous gardening expert that the way to tell Brugmansia and Datura apart was in the loft of their flowers. Datura trumpet blossoms pointed up and Brugmansia pointed down. This was during a prolonged drought and heat wave and in the afternoon. The flowers pointed down. I therefore typed them as Brugs. I had started the plants from seeds provided to me by a friend who believed them to be from a Brugmansia. Germination was high and I had many plants to distribute to other friends. They grew rapidly and started to flower when only about eighteen inches (46 centimeters) tall. The flowers seemed almost as large as the plant. After being thoroughly watered the Brugs raised their new flowers to the skywhen they opened in the early evening and metamorphosed into Datura. I am not the only one confused about which is which. In surfing the Net for information, I came across a page that called a Brugmansia suaveolens a Datura. It included an image of most definitely down-pointing flowers. Others listed the suaveolens as a Brug. I guess this quandary is not too surprising since the genus was not split into two until 1970. Just when I thought I had it figured out I came across a Datura Brugmansia in one list which was then renamed as only a Brug when that link was opened. Be careful with all these plants as they are psychoactive and can be dangerous. It is too bad they are not harmful to slugs. For some inexplicable reason, slugs seem to prefer them. The Daturas I planted in the ground (as opposed to those placed in large pots) were all relished by slugs which had to be controlled. The potted Datura will be brought indoors this fall to survive the winter and be released outdoors again next year.
This confused state of affairs between Datura and Brugmansia was not the first time I underwent an unanticipated change of flora. I planted a Birch tree at our former house. It was purchased young from a local and reputable nursery. After two years it changed into a Perch tree, sporting many tasty peaches. Of course it was not planted in an appropriate spot for a Perch tree, but I let it stay. (Could it possibly have
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