American Pokeweed Phytolacca americana – Native Plant of the Week

Introduction

American Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana, was a new plant for me in that I only recently ‘discovered’ it in my recent travels to the eastern USA. It grows prolifically like a weed, hence the name “Pokeweed”. It has tiny little flowers but gorgeous clusters of green berries on purple-red stems that later turn dark purple. I think what I love most about it is the contrast of the green or purple berries on those bright fuchsia-red stems. I also respect the large size of this native herbaceous perennial and its hardiness. It often grows on the edge of roads, poking out between the edge of the bushes and the sidewalks. It gets trimmed back, trampled on, and yet it still returns.

Toxicity of American Pokeweed

Phytolacca americana is poisonous to humans and most other mammals. The roots are the most toxic, followed by the mature leaves, stems, and ripe fruit. Symptoms of poisoning include severe gastritis, vomiting, sweating, bloody diarrhea, blurred vision, and loss of consciousness. People seldom die, but young children, who may eat the berries, are the most susceptible. Since the toxins can be absorbed through the skin it is recommended to limit direct contact with your skin. Birds and other small animals, however, are immune to its toxic effects.

Its toxicity is the reason this beautiful native plant is often viewed as a pest plant because it sometimes harms people, pets, or livestock. I think it is sad when native species are treated as ‘pests’ because they were here before we ever were, so who is the pest, really? Maybe we just need to be better educated about the dangers of poisonous plants. I think I may also just have a soft spot in my heart for any native plant viewed as a pest. In either case, I think it is a beautiful plant. I wanted to learn more about it and share it with others so maybe they too can better understand this misunderstood native plant. If you like misunderstood native plants as I do, be sure to check out my blog on whether cattails are really an invasive native species or do human perceptions need to change?

Description of American Pokeweed

Stem & Leaves

American Pokeweed or Phytolacca americana is a member of the Phytolaccaceae family, part of the Caryophyllales Order. It is a very tall herbaceous perennial, growing anywhere from less than 1 m to just over 3 m tall with angular-ridged greenish to fuchsia-red stems. The stems are often, though not always branched.

The large leaves grow to 35 cm long and 18 cm wide on 1-6 cm long leaf stalks (petioles). Leaf blades are ovate to lance-shaped and are entire (not toothed). The leaf tips (apex) are thin and pointed (acuminate) and its base is rounded or heart-shaped (cordate). Leaves are arranged alternately on the reddish stems.

Flowers & Fruits

The flowers grow in elongated racemes (clusters). Each small, perfect, radially symmetric flower has 4-5 white, greenish-white, pinkish, or purplish sepals each 2.5-3.5 mm long. The flowers have no petals, though the sepals do appear petal-like. There are 9-12 stamens in a single whorl. Usually, however, the flowers have 10 stamens. Flowers have 6-12 carpels (a carpel is the female reproductive organs = ovary + style + stigma) that are partially joined (connate) toward their base. The ovary is 6-12 loculed (chambered).

American Pokeweed produces somewhat unique 6-11 mm diameter berries that have 10 (9-12) cells. The berries start out green and later turn dark purple to almost black, with bright crimson-colored juice. The 3 mm lens-shaped shiny black seeds are embedded in the juicy berries and are mostly spread by birds that are able to eat the berries without toxic side effects.

Similar Species Frequently Confused With

There are no other species it can be confused within North America. The unique stems and berry clusters make it difficult to confuse with anything else. However, there are two varieties of Phytolacca americana. Sometimes the varieties’ properties can overlap and vary making them hard to distinguish. However, in general, the two can be distinguished as follows:

• Phytolacca americana var americana – fruit stalks (pedicels) are usually longer than 6 mm when in fruit, and are longer than the berries. The racemes are usually drooping and are typically quite long, from 12-30 cm long (raceme only, not including the stalk). This variety is much more common and widespread throughout the species’ entire range.
• Phytolacca americana var rigida – pedicels are shorter than the berries and less than 6 mm long when in fruit. The racemes are erect and typically much shorter, usually only 6-9 cm long. This variety is also only found in eastern coastal USA from North Carolina and Virginia south along the coast as far west as Texas.

Habitat & Growing Conditions of Phytolacca americana

In North America, it tends to be found in disturbed areas including pastures, edge habitats, roadsides, fence rows, forest openings, recently cleared areas and waste areas. It is an opportunistic species that seems able to thrive on human disturbance.

It grows in full sun to part shade. Due to its more opportunistic nature it can be found growing in a variety of soil and moisture conditions.

Growing American Pokeweed in Your Garden

Growing native species in your yard is easy, once established they require little or no maintenance. They also provide important wildlife and biodiversity values as well. These factors all make them the perfect plant for your garden.

American Pokeweed is easy to grow from seed, you can either purchase seeds or gather some from the wild. Seeds can be obtained in the Amazon Affiliates links at the bottom of the page. Plants generally cannot be transplanted as they have a long taproot. But the seeds are fairly easy to germinate and remain viable for decades. Simply spread them on a thin layer of compost and lightly cover them with soil. Keep them moist until they germinate then thin them. Once mature each plant will need approximately 1 m of space.

Pokeweed grows quite tall but can be pruned shorter if necessary. Ideally choose a location behind your flower beds and plant it in almost any soil type and condition. It is highly opportunistic that way and will tolerate almost anything. Once past the seedling stage you can simply leave it alone, it requires no fertilizer and no water once established. Just let it grow and harvest it yourself if that is your reason for growing it, or leave it be and let the wildlife feast on the berries when they come ripe.

Winter Maintenance

Even though it is a herbaceous perennial and will die back for the winter, do not cut the dead growth back until spring. If there are remaining berries on the bush the birds, rodents, deer, etc will keep returning to nibble on them all winter long. Then in the spring before it gets new shoots, cut the dead stems back to ground level.

Wildlife Values of American Pokeweed

American pokeweed feeds numerous native wildlife species from birds like robins, hummingbirds, and bluebirds to squirrels, foxes, opossums and raccoons. Most animals eat the juicy berries when ripe but white-tailed deer also feed on the leaves and stems, especially in the spring. It is also a host to the lovely leopard moths and it’s an important plant for migratory birds in eastern North America.

Distribution of American Pokeweed Phytolacca americana

In Canada, Phytolacca americana is found only in the eastern provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick.

In the USA American Pokeweed is found throughout all the eastern states from Minnesota south to Louisiana and all states east of there. It is also found in the southern states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona with scattered populations in the pacific coast states of California, Oregon and Washington. It is most widespread in the eastern USA.

In Mexico, it has been found in Baja California (norte), Nuevo Leon, Veracruz, and along the eastern edge of Oaxaca. It is likely native there due to populations on the southern border of the USA. Though its populations and status there do not appear to have been studied.

American Pokeweed was formerly a North American endemic species. Globally it has now been introduced to numerous countries in Europe as well as in Japan.

Status of Phytolacca americana

American Pokeweed is considered Globally Secure (G5). Given its weedy opportunistic tendencies, this is not surprising as it is a tough plant tolerant of various growing conditions including human disturbance.

In Canada, Phytolacca americana is considered Apparently Secure (S4). It is unranked in Quebec and New Brunswick.

However in the USA, it is only considered Secure locally (S5) in Iowa, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware. It is Apparently Secure (S4) in Illinois. As is the case with most of our native plants it is as yet unranked in most of the states that it is currently found in. The unranked states it is found in include: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington.

Traditional or Other Uses of American Pokeweed

American Pokeweed Use as a Vegetable

Poke salad was a common food eaten regularly as recently as the mid 1900’s. The young leaves were picked, washed, then cooked. The water was poured out, new water added, then cooked again, and rinsed out again. This process deactivated the toxins and rinsed them out of the young leaves. Only the young leaves were eaten this way as they became more toxic with maturity. Young shoots were also picked and eaten similar to asparagus. The berries were frequently used to color wine and eaten cooked in pies, usually mixed with other berries.

The Cherokee Nation of the USA has a long traditional history of the use of American Pokeweed. They too would cook and eat the greens. The later settlers no doubt learned this practice from them. The Cherokee people used to pick the young leaves and dry them for later use. They would also peel, cook and eat the young stems like asparagus. Sometimes they would even dip the stems in egg, and then cornmeal, and fry them as you would fish. They also used the berries in wines for flavor and color. The Iroquois and Malecite also occasionally used Phytolacca americana as a food source.

Phytolacca americana Medicinal Uses

Medicinally American Pokeweed was used by native North Americans for a number of ailments. Usually, the root was used medicinally, mostly externally but also internally, no doubt under strictly controlled supervision as the root is the most poisonous. The Iroquois used it for various skin conditions, rashes, bruises, etc. They also used it for rheumatism and problems with the liver or blood. The Delaware, Mahuna, and Micmac used it for similar purposes in similar ways. The Mohegan used the mashed berries as a poultice for sore breasts for nursing mothers. It was also used as a poison by the Iroquois Mohegan and Mahuna peoples. The Iroquois even used it as a love medicine where they would ‘tie in a poplar tree, then place among roots’.

More recently Phytolacca americana has been widely used by herbalists for various skin ailments, particularly hemorrhoids. It is also being studied for its known potent antiviral and antifungal properties. It is even being examined for use against HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).

Ethical Wildcrafting of Phytolacca americana

If you want to wildcraft Phytolacca americana please find a nice large and healthy population to harvest from. If you find just a few plants or a single plant please leave them alone to reproduce. Even though it is a weedy species whose status is currently secure, it is a plant with a ‘bad rap’ that is often eradicated locally due to its being so misunderstood and feared. So when wildcrafting, as always, please follow the 1 in 20 rule as described in the Ethical Wildcrafting post. Also, because it tends to grow well under human disturbance, be sure the area you are wildcrafting from is free of major sources of pollution.

Wildcrafting and Processing

If you are harvesting wear gloves to minimize contact exposure. When harvesting leaves pick 1 in every 20 leaves you see and place them in a bag or basket. Then bring them home and either dry them flat on a screen or rack for later use or cook them right away if making poke salad. Please be very careful if you are ingesting them in any way, be aware of the poisonous properties, and treat the plant with the respect it deserves. If storing the greens be sure to label the bag or jar with TOXIC IF INGESTED to prevent others from accidentally ingesting enough to poison themselves.

If you are harvesting the roots then dig the root with a digging stick as described in the Ethical Wildcrafting post. Bring the root home and remove any dirt, then slice it into smaller manageable pieces before drying for later use. Once dried it can be made into a tincture or a salve. If you are not a trained herbalist please limit your use of the root to external applications only. Be sure to label TOXIC IF INGESTED on your harvesting bag, rack, and tincture bottles to prevent others from accidentally ingesting the poison.

Berries can be harvested when ripe, pick the entire cluster (only picking 1 in 20 clusters that you see), then bring them home and either use them right away or dry them on a screen or rack for later use. Again, be sure to label the storage jar with TOXIC IF INGESTED to prevent others from accidentally ingesting toxic amounts of the berries.

References and Resources

Canadensys Plant Search https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search

Dictionary of Botanical Terms – by Lyrae’s Nature Blog https://lyraenatureblog.com/blog/dictionary-of-botanical-terms/

Eflora Plants of North America http://www.efloras.org/browse.aspx?flora_id=1

iNaturalist Plant Search https://www.inaturalist.org/home

Native American Ethnobotany http://naeb.brit.org/

Natureserve Explorer https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search

USDA Plants Database https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home

Willis, Lyrae (2022).  Plant Families of North America.  Not yet published. 

Currently Seeking Funding To Continue This Non-Profit, Ad-Free Work

If you are able to donate so that I can continue this non-profit work of supplying people with scientific information on the plant families, native plants, and invasive species found throughout North America, please donate using the GoFundMe link below. Thank you!

Columbia Tiger Lily Lilium columbianum – Native Plant of the Week

Introduction

The Columbia Tiger Lily or Lilium columbianum is a beautiful true lily of the Liliaceae family. For most of my life, its familiar bloom greeted me in late spring throughout the summer in the southern half of British Columbia where I have spent most of my life. The pretty orange blossoms with their unique turban-shaped features are difficult to confuse with other species. I love seeing them on the sides of the road in late spring and early summer when they are at their peak.

But nothing breaks my heart more than watching people pick handfuls of the beautiful flowers, clearly not recognizing the damage they are doing. Anytime you pick a flower from the wild you are preventing it from reproducing. In some cases, you are dooming the entire plant and all of its future offspring. The flowers of virtually all plants give rise to the fruits and/or seeds that are the next generation. While the Columbia Tiger Lily is still somewhat common, I have noticed it becoming less common in areas where I have witnessed them being picked.

The Columbia Tiger Lily, Lilium columbianum, was an important staple food source for many native peoples in western North America. It is still sometimes gathered and eaten as food, but please follow good Ethical Wildcrafting principles if you want to try this.

In recent years Lilium columbianum has been becoming more and more available commercially. I love the idea of our beautiful native plants being made available commercially. As long as gardeners purchase their seeds or bulbs from a native plant supplier who propagates themselves and does not harvest from the wild that is. Particularly if it is native in your area, please buy some seeds and grow them in your own yard. You will not be disappointed! See the section on Growing Columbia Tiger Lily below for more information.

Description of Columbia Tiger Lily

Stem & Leaves

A variable but usually tall plant on slender stems up to 1-2 m tall. Sometimes they may be shorter, even as low as 15 cm tall when found growing in subalpine conditions. They grow from highly variable-shaped elongated bulbs up to 5 cm in diameter.

The thin stems have anywhere from 3 – 20 whorled leaves arranged equally around the same node. As you go up the stem towards the flowers the leaves become only partially whorled then scattered. Its leaves are more or less elliptical in shape to wider near the tip (apex) and narrower at the base (oblanceolate) and are anywhere from 1.5 – 15.5 cm long. The apex (tip) is always sharply pointed to varying degrees (acute to acuminate). The leaves are always at least twice to several times longer than they are wide. Leaf margins are often smooth but may be slightly wavy (undulate).

Flowers & Fruits

The flowers bloom anywhere from May to September, depending on elevation and latitude. They are beautiful, but not fragrant. Flowers are bright, showy, light orange nodding flowers with maroon-purple to reddish spots on their six tepals. Being a lily they have ‘tepals’ in that their sepals and petals appear virtually identical and are not easily distinguished. The tepals are characteristically reflexed, bending backward so far they often touch their tips together at the back of the flower. The shape is often referred to as Turk’s cap or turban shaped.

The anthers are yellow to orange in color and are borne on exserted filaments in that they extend out of the flower beyond the tepals. Flowers from northern populations typically have more exserted stamens (anthers + filaments) than those in the southern end of its range.

There are anywhere from 1 and up to 15 flowers per stem in favorable conditions. The flowers are pollinated by rufous hummingbirds and swallowtail butterflies. In late summer or early fall, they produce a seed capsule 2.2 – 5.5 cm long.

Similar Species Frequently Confused With

• Lilium kelloggii – this plant may hybridize with Lilium columbianum in the southern part of its range which can make it hard to identify. However, L. kelloggii is not found north of Oregon. Its flowers are more fragrant than not but are also reflexed. However, the tepals are always more pink than orange, sometimes with orange stripes.
• Lilium occidentale – this plant has a very limited range, being found only along the coast in southwestern Oregon and northwestern California. The flower tepals are reflexed but are very red in color.
• Lilium pardalinum – this plant may hybridize with Lilium columbianum in the southern part of its range making them hard to identify. However, it is also not found north of southernmost Oregon. It is a highly variable species with many subspecies. In general, however, its tepals are always varying shades of red towards their tips, orange towards their base. While the tepals are reflexed they are typically not as reflexed as Lilium columbianum.
• Lilium philadelphicum – this is the only other one that Lilium columbianum could be confused within eastern British Columbia, Canada as it is the only other ‘Tiger Lily’ that grows there, and the only area where it overlaps L. columbianum in range. These are easily distinguished however by the usually red or darker orange tepals that are never reflexed.

Habitat & Growing Conditions of Columbia Tiger Lily

Though its range is somewhat limited, it is common where it does grow and it adapts to a variety of different ecosystems. It can be found in clearings, meadows, forest edges, and on roadsides, particularly in the mountains where they have been less picked. They also grow in a variety of forest types including scrub, mixed or coniferous. The Columbia Tiger Lily also tolerates a wide range of elevations, being found anywhere from 0 – 1800 m above sea level.

Lilium columbianum typically grows in partial shade but can be found in full sun or full shade. In full shade they are more lanky with less flowers. They prefer rich loamy soil types as long as they are well-drained soils. They do not grow in waterlogged soils.

Growing Columbia Tiger Lily in Your Garden

Native species are fantastic additions to your garden. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, once established these will require little to no maintenance and they provide important wildlife and biodiversity values as well as their aesthetic beauty. Please purchase seeds or bulbs from a native plant supplier who propagates themselves and does not harvest from the wild that is. Seeds are a better choice if you are uncertain where the supplier is getting their bulbs from, there are some available in the Amazon Affiliates section at the bottom of this article.

When started from seed Columbia Tiger Lily takes 3 – 5 years to mature before it produces and significant bulbs and abundant flowers. If you already have bulbs you can divide them or gently remove the bulb scales to more quickly produce new plants. Share your bulbs around with your friends in the Pacific Northwest and have them grow them too!

Be sure you have a spot with rich loamy soil. If not, dig up a roughly 70 cm cubic pit of soil out of your chosen spot and fill it with rich loamy soil. Plant your seeds, bulbs or plants and amend the surface with organic compost for food and water retention. Keep it moist but not wet, wet soil can cause basal rot.

If your land is prone to waterlogging be sure to also dig out a pit of soil but add sand and gravel to the bottom of the pit and mix a little sand into your loamy soil. Then plant the bulbs or seeds in a raised mount of soil. This will help keep them drier than the surrounding land. Waterlogged plants are prone to basal rot which will kill the plant.

Winter Maintenance

Columbia Tiger Lily is a herbaceous perennial so the above-ground growth will die back each fall. Once the leaves have all died you can cut it down. If you live in a particularly cold area you could put some mulch over the bulbs in the winter to protect them. Then when spring comes you can dig them up and divide the bulbs, if desired.

Pests and Other Problems

Aphids may attack your plants as they are fond of most lilies. If this is the case spray them with diluted neem oil as a safe treatment. Neem works great on aphids and will not harm the plants.

Wildlife Values of Columbia Tiger Lily

Multiple native pollinators visit the Columbia Tiger Lily including butterflies, birds, bees (native and honeybees), and more. Though native peoples ate the bulbs on a regular basis it is not certain if wildlife ever feed on the bulbs.

Distribution of Columbia Tiger Lily Lilium columbianum

Columbia Tiger Lily is endemic to western North America, being found nowhere else in the world. In Canada, it is found throughout the southern half of British Columbia. In the USA it is found throughout most of Washington, the northern tip of Idaho, the extreme northwest corner of Montana, western Oregon, and the northwest corner of California. It is found nowhere else in North America.

Status of Lilium columbianum

Columbia Tiger Lily is considered Secure (S5). However, it is only secure in British Columbia, Canada. It is considered Imperiled (S2) in Montana, USA where it has an extremely limited distribution. In Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California it is as yet Unranked, sadly as is the case with so many of our native US plant species. Clearly, the USA needs to do more to assess its plant populations so that they can be adequately ranked.

Traditional or Other Uses of Columbia Tiger Lily

The Columbia Tiger Lily has a long history of use as a staple food source by native peoples in western North America. The following groups of people were all noted as using it as a source of food whether eaten fresh, steamed, dried, etc. They include: Clallam, Klallam, Lummi, Nitinaht, Okanagan, Okanagan-Colville, Quileute, Quinault, Samish, Shuswap, Skagit, Swinomish, Skokomish, and Thompson.

The flavor has been described anywhere from peppery and tasty, somewhat resembling chestnuts to varying levels of bitterness. The flavor likely varies between different regions as well as harvest times. Bulbs were usually gathered in the late summer or early fall after the flowers had died off. Sometimes, however, they were also harvested in the spring. They were gathered and then steamed in pits and eaten warm, or eaten later cold with oil. The Thompson people would also boil them with salmon roe during the salmon runs and eat it as a favorite dish among their people.

Columbia Tiger Lily bulbs were also processed and stored as a winter food staple. After steaming they would be dried and made into storage cakes with dried meat or berries, especially saskatoon berries. They would then be eaten throughout the winter in cakes or added to soups.

There are no references found for using Lilium columbianum for medicinal purposes. Other closely related lily species were used in various medicinal preparations, but no medicinal uses for Columbia Tiger Lily were found. However, the Okanagan-Colville people would mix the mashed bulbs with stinkbugs to ward against ‘plhax’ in a form of witchcraft medicine.

Ethical Wildcrafting of Lilium columbianum

Ideally if you live in the Pacific Northwest try growing these beautiful flowers in your garden. See the section above for more information. If you still want to try the bulb of the Columbia Tiger Lily as a wild food, first be sure that the population is secure in your area. Then be sure to find a nice large and healthy population. If you find just a few plants or a single plant please leave them alone to reproduce.

When wildcrafting follow the 1 in 20 rule for plants as described in the Ethical Wildcrafting post. For every 20 plants you see, you can harvest one. Since you are digging the bulb you will no doubt kill the plant during harvest so please stick closely to the 1 in 20 rule. To help aid in propagation wait until the flowers have died and the seeds have formed. This way, when you harvest the bulbs you can scatter the mature seeds so that they will grow into new plants.

Wildcrafting and Processing Tips

When you dig the bulbs please do not use a shovel as it will damage the bulbs as well as the roots of surrounding plants. Instead, use a digging stick as these are far less damaging. A digging stick is any short, sturdy stick that won’t break when you dig the soil with it. You can bring your own or find one along the way. Dig into the ground just out from the base of the plant until you find the bulb(s). Once dug, brush the dirt off the bulbs and place them in a basket of some kind and bring them home to process them.

To prevent molding bulbs should be processed soon after picking. To process bulbs simply clean them and steam them or cook them in a pit in the traditional way. Some sources mention that drying them for a couple of days in the sun first may help remove some of the bitter flavors. But, as this bitterness is variable and subjective, you could try it either way.

Please, if you are trying this, do so in moderation. The days of using wild food for subsistence living in North America are for the most part long gone. This is thanks to invasive species, habitat destruction, and other harmful human practices that threaten our wild plant populations. It might be fun to try, but it is no longer a lifestyle we can choose to live if we want our native species to survive in the future.

References and Resources

Canadensys Plant Search https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search

Dictionary of Botanical Terms – by Lyrae’s Nature Blog https://lyraenatureblog.com/blog/dictionary-of-botanical-terms/

Eflora Plants of North America http://www.efloras.org/browse.aspx?flora_id=1

iNaturalist Plant Search https://www.inaturalist.org/home

Native American Ethnobotany http://naeb.brit.org/

Natureserve Explorer https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search

USDA Plants Database https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home

Willis, Lyrae (2021).  Plant Families of North America.  Not yet published. 

Currently Seeking Funding To Continue This Non-Profit, Ad-Free Work

If you are able to donate so that I can continue this non-profit work of supplying people with scientific information on the plant families, native plants, and invasive species found throughout North America, please donate using the GoFundMe link below. Thank you!

Desert Thorn Apple, Toloache, Datura discolor – Native Plant of the Week

Introduction

Desert Thorn Apple, or commonly called Toloache in Mexico, is the species Datura discolor. The Datura genus are of the Solanaceae or Nightshade family along with tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplants. It is a beautiful, hearty plant worthy of our respect and admiration, but with extreme caution due to its toxicity.

The Desert Thorn Apple is often seen growing on roadsides as well as in semi-open natural areas in sandy soils and washes (dry creek beds in dry climates or deserts where water flows when it rains) throughout its range. Even when it is in the dry season, the Desert Thorn Apple still often appears lush and green when little else is. It has large, beautiful, delicate-looking white trumpet-shaped flowers whose throat is tinged with varying shades of purple. Its beauty and drought tolerance make it popular as a garden plant in its natural range. However, in some areas, it can be illegal to sell, buy or even grow Datura plants.

Toxicity of the Desert Thorn Apple or Toloache

Don’t let the incredible beauty of the large trumpet flowers of Datura discolor fool you. As with all other Datura species, the entire plant is potentially highly toxic. The flowers, leaves, roots, and especially the seeds all contain a potentially lethal mix of toxic alkaloids including scopolamine and atropine. Datura species have been known to poison people, livestock, and pets. Its effects have at times been fatal. Children, in particular, seem to be susceptible to the atropine alkaloids.

If ingested these alkaloids may cause symptoms ranging from dry skin, dry mouth, dilated pupils, muscle stiffness, and confusion to agitation, paralysis, delirium, amnesia, strong hallucinations, and even death. Most human cases of toxicity are from intentional ingestion of a more common closely related species known as Jimson Weed, Datura stramonium. Teenagers and young adults frequently ingest or smoke the plant for its potentially hallucinogenic effects, but often end up hospitalized, or worse, from its unintended toxic side effects.

Avoiding Toxic Effects

It is, however, easy to avoid poisoning from the Desert Thorn Apple as most poisonings are from intentional ingestion. Simply don’t ingest it. Sometimes however it can get mixed in with plant harvests and contaminate livestock feed. If there is a lot of Datura in your fields simply go and remove the plants at harvest time to prevent contamination. There was even a case of poisoning from a certain type of semi-domesticated honey wasp that caused poisoning from honey, though this method of ingestion appears to be quite rare.

Treatment for Poisonings

Most people are hospitalized due to their agitated state. The primary treatment for poisoning is activated charcoal to reduce the absorption of the toxic alkaloids by the stomach. Hospitals may also administer drugs to calm the patients down and counteract the effects. Pets and livestock are treated with activated charcoal.

Description of Datura discolor

Leaves & Stem

Desert Thorn Apple or Toloache is an annual or short-lived perennial sub-shrub that varies considerably in height. It can be a low-growing somewhat sprawling shrub less than 50 cm tall to an upright one growing up to 1.5 m tall. Its tough stalks are green with purple stripes (striations) on them. The purple striations are often quite conspicuous and help aid in its identification to help distinguish it from other species of Datura. The widely ovate-shaped leaves are 5-18 cm long and 3-16 cm wide. The leaves may or may not be toothed (dentate) or slightly wavy-edged (undulate). The surfaces may or may not be variously hairy (pubescent).

Flowers & Fruits

Datura discolor has very large, upright white funnelform (somewhat trumpet-shaped) flowers with varying shades of purple (see photo at top of page). The purple is usually in the throat of the flower but sometimes also on the edges of the flared face (corolla) of the flower. The 8-15 cm long flower tubes are surrounded by a 6-14 cm long tubular calyx. The corolla of the flower is 4-8 cm wide generally with 5 strong points or acumens (and 5 shorter acumens) that are usually short and vary from acute to acuminate on the very edges of the corolla. The flowers are short-lived, opening at night and typically withering after just one day.

It has a spiny roundish (globose) seed capsule 2.5-4 cm wide, as do most Datura species (see photo at top of page). The capsule has 200 to 300 spines that are each 1.3-2 cm long. The capsule splits or dehisces along 4 sutures releasing numerous black kidney-shaped (reniform) seeds. Its persistent round (rotate) calyx surrounds the base of the seed capsule where it attaches to the stem.

Similar Species Frequently Confused With

Datura discolor could easily be confused with any of the other 8-13 species of Datura. The number of species varies with the source. Some experts only accept 9 species while other sources accept up to 14 separate species. All species tend to be highly variable, growing according to their environmental conditions. This can make identification challenging.

There are some key differences that will help you distinguish Desert Thorn Apple from the others. Here is a list of the other species found in the same range as Datura discolor and their differences in habitat or appearance:

• Datura ceratocaula – native to Mexico but prefers swamps or other wet areas, unlike most other Datura species. The flowers often have a bluish tinge. Also unlike all other Datura species, the seed capsules are never spiny making them easy to distinguish.
• Datura ferox – the long spine thorn apple once thought to be native to China actually originated in the Americas and is native to Mexico and Central America. It is known for its particularly long spines on its seed capsules. The leaves are toothed and hairy and its hairy stalks are thick and often tinged with red. It is an upright annual no more than 90 cm tall.
• Datura innoxia – the downy or recurved thorn apple also grows in a similar range, but it is known for its downy soft leaves and stems making the plant appear soft and greyish in color. The flowers are similar in size but usually have recurved edges that bend downwards. The fruits are larger and usually egg-shaped and split irregularly instead of along 4 sutures.
• Datura leichhardtii – grows in similar habitats and to similar heights as Datura discolor. However, this plant is covered with small hairs and has smaller inconspicuous yellowish-white flowers that set it apart from other Datura species.
• Datura quercifolia – found in similar habitats but also survives in moist environments in full sun. It is distinguished by its oak-shaped leaves and its small pale violet funnel-shaped flowers that seldom exceed 4.5 cm long.
• Datura stramonium – common jimsonweed is an aggressive weed throughout the range of Datura discolor. Its flowers however are more fragrant than the Desert Thorn Apple, are only 6 – 9 cm long, generally do not ever fully open, and they are usually white or cream and rarely violet in color. The seed capsules also open along 4 sutures but they are larger, up to 8 cm long, and are oval or egg-shaped, not round.
• Datura wrightii – grows in the southwestern USA and northern Mexico but it is a herbaceous perennial growing to 1.5 m tall and wide. Its leaves are more rounded, tapering to a point and may be wavy but generally are not toothed. The flowers are also large and white (to 20 cm long) and may be tinged with purple, but are much more fragrant and generally last much longer. The similar-sized capsules have more spines (300-400) but they contain tan instead of black seeds.

Habitat & Growing Conditions of Desert Thorn Apple

Desert Thorn Apple, Datura discolor, is common in sunny, dry places throughout the Sonoran desert and surrounding areas of the southwestern USA, Mexico, and Caribbean islands in arid and semi-arid areas. Desert Thorn Apple is also frequently found on roadsides and next to buildings where the eaves protect its delicate flowers from the rains. It is generally only found at lower elevations, below 600 m.

It prefers open sunny areas in sandy soils and washes (dry creek beds) throughout its range. It can be found in part shade but not full shade. It prefers dry soil and can tolerate drought conditions. It can tolerate moist soil types but will not grow in wet soil.

Growing Desert Thorn Apple in Your Garden

If you live in the southwest of USA, Caribbean, Mexico or other nearby areas Desert Thorn Apple will be very easy to grow in your garden. Please check your are to make sure it is legal to grow however as in some states it is regulated. If you are able to grow it then fantastic, native species, once established, require little to no maintenance making them the perfect garden plant.

If given a little TLC Desert Thorn Apple will behave as a short-lived perennial, otherwise it grows as an annual. Collect the seeds each year and scatter them in your chosen spot to grow on their own, or if you prefer you could start them in pots and transfer them to your garden from there. It would be best to start them in newspaper pots, peat pots, or other biodegradable pots so that you do not have to disturb their roots when you plant them in your garden.

Find a nice sunny spot with sandy soil, but amend it with a small amount of organic compost in order to feed it so that it grows larger and produces more flowers than it would in sandy soils alone.

If your soil is too heavy or rich dig out a 50 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm pit and mix sand and/or gravel into the soil before putting it back in the pit. If the area is prone to collect moisture then try planting the seeds on top of a slight mound so that it is higher than the surrounding soil allowing it some extra drainage. When it comes to Desert Thorn Apple the soil really never can be too dry providing you water it if it does happen to look wilted.

Distribution of Datura discolor

In the USA, Desert Thorn Apple is native in California and Arizona. In North America it does not grow any further north than California and Arizona, being entirely absent from Canada.

In Mexico, it is more widespread throughout the western, central, and southern states. It is native in Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Mexican Pacific Islands, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Colima, Michoacan, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Puebla, Guerrero, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. It has also been found in the Caribbean, particularly in Cuba and Puerto Rico, where it is also believed to be native.

Many Datura species have now been introduced around the world. Datura discolor has been introduced to western India and different parts of northern and southern Africa.

Status of Datura discolor

Desert Thorn Apple, Toloache, or Datura discolor, is considered Globally Secure (G5). In the USA, as is the case with most native plants it seems, it is yet unranked. No other information on its status could be found. However, it is a hearty plant that is relatively common in its natural range. It has also been introduced outside of its natural range, so its actual global status is likely fairly Secure.

Traditional or Other Uses of Desert Thorn Apple

In North America Datura species were frequently used ritualistically by shamans, medicine men, and other spiritual leaders to induce hallucinations. Various species were widely used, however, not just the Desert Thorn Apple, but all Daturas in their range. It was reportedly used this way by the Pima, Navajo, Havasupai, and Southern Paiute. The Aztecs of Mexico widely used it by their medicine men, necromancers, and also in their ritualistic sacrifices. It is apparently even an ingredient of the well-known Haitian ‘Zombie Poison”.

Datura discolor the Desert Thorn Apple or Toloache was also used medicinally. Specifically the Pima peoples in North America used it as an analgesic for childbirth, on the skin for sores or to draw pus from boils, as a wash for sore eyes, as a gastrointestinal aid for ulcers, and the heated flowers as a poultice for earaches.

In the Old World, after it was introduced from the New World, it was also used both medicinally and ritualistically. Medicinally it was used in similar ways as Belladonna. Sometimes Datura was also used to poison people, in witchcraft, or as an aid to suicide.

Ethical Wildcrafting of Datura discolor

Ingestion of Desert Thorn Apple, in any form and quantity, is no longer recommended or commonly practiced. If you are however using it in a ritual and not planning to ingest it in any form then please follow standard Ethical Wildcrafting principles. Find a nice large and healthy population to harvest whichever parts of the plant you wish to harvest. Please try not to kill the entire plant when you wildcraft as it is a native species in North America. If you are wanting to grow it in your garden simply harvest the ripe seeds and plant them the following spring.

And of course, be absolutely certain that you bring a paper bag with a pen to carefully label the species and location. Once labeled add “TOXIC IF INGESTED” in large bold print on the bag so that it is never accidentally ingested. While drying keep the label with the plant parts that are drying. Once dried and ready to be stored follow the practice of carefully labeling species and severe toxicity if ingested, again to prevent anyone from accidentally ingesting it and poisoning themselves.

References and Resources

Canadensys Plant Search https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search

Dictionary of Botanical Terms – by Lyrae’s Nature Blog https://lyraenatureblog.com/blog/dictionary-of-botanical-terms/

iNaturalist Plant Search https://www.inaturalist.org/home

Native American Ethnobotany http://naeb.brit.org/

Natureserve Explorer https://explorer.natureserve.org/

Rel de Herbarios del Noroeste de Mexico https://herbanwmex.net/portal/

USDA Plants Database https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home

Wikipedia on effects of ingestion and treatment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura

Willis, Lyrae (2022).  Plant Families of North America.  Not yet published. 

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