Sacred datura is a perennial ground cover with large white flowers that makes a great addition to any desert-themed garden. But before you plant, be aware that all parts are toxic. Here’s how to plant and care for this southwest desert native.
Pewter green foliage and white flowers make sacred datura (Datura wrightii) a stand out where ever it grows. Plants look cool even when temperatures soar and make a soothing contrast to hot-colored flowers.
This plant really shines is in the evening when its fragrant flowers open, attracting pollinating moths that look like hummingbirds! Its trumpet-shaped flowers are huge (6 to 8″) and range from pure white to white tinged with purple.
This tough desert native is extremely low maintenance. It’s not unusual to see it growing in inhospitable places such as along washes, roadsides, and in disturbed areas.
It’s well-behaved in desert gardens. It needs minimal water and stays nicely shaped without pruning. It occasionally reseeds, but rarely to the point of becoming a nuisance.
Why I Like This Plant
- Blue-green leaves
- Large fragrant white flowers
- Extremely low maintenance
- Flowers attract pollinators
- Reseeds but not aggressively
- Deer, rabbit resistant
Things to Watch Out For
Don’t be surprised if large, green caterpillars commonly called “horn worms” appear and nibble on the leaves. They ultimately turn into large hawk moths or spinx moths.
If you don’t think you can’t tolerate co-existing with horn worms, this is not the plant for you. Trying to control them is not recommended, since these moths are important pollinators for many night-blooming plants besides sacred datura, including the beloved queen of the night (Peniocereus greggii).
All parts of sacred datura contain dangerous levels of scopolamine, and are toxic to people, pets, and livestock. In reality, this plant is rarely accidentally consumed since its crushed leaves smell unpleasant and are extremely bitter. However, people have been known to intentionally consume it for its psychoactive properties.
It’s recommended that you wear gloves when handling this plant as it causes dermatitis in some people.
Optimal Growing Conditions
If you’re thinking of adding a sacred datura to your garden, you need to find a suitable place that will keep your plant healthy and looking good… while minimizing maintenance for you
Here are the key factors to keep in mind.
Temperature
Sacred datura should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 – 11. These plants withstand temperature extremes. They love summer heat and are cold-hardy down to 15℉.
In places where winters are mild, they can stay evergreen, but once they experience frost, they lose their leaves.
Sun Exposure
Sacred datura grows well in either full sun or part shade, but will flower more in full sun.
Size and Growth Rate
Sacred datura is a fast growing ground cover that typically reaches a size of 2 feet tall by 5 feet wide.
Soil
Sacred datura is not particular about soil. It grows well in any native soil — rocky, sandy, and clay — provided it’s well-draining.
Other Location Considerations
Since all parts of this plant are toxic, don’t plant it where curious kids or pets (or livestock) can access it.
Striking white flowers pop at dusk, making it an excellent addition to a moon garden. Plant it near a patio or seating area, and you can enjoy its fragrance and moth activity in the evening.
Sacred Datura:
The Essentials
| Common Name | Sacred datura |
| Scientific Name | Datura wrightii |
| Origin | New Mexico, Texas, Mexico |
| Plant Type | Perennial ground cover |
| USDA Zones | Zones 9 – 11 |
| Cold Hardiness | To 15℉ |
| Flower Color | White |
| Flower Season | Spring, summer, fall |
| Mature Size | 2-3′ high x 5-6′ wide |
| Growth Rate | Fast |
| Sun Tolerance | Full, part sun |
| Water Needs | Low |
| Pests & Diseases | Horn worms |
| Caution | All parts toxic, Contact dermatitis |
| Wildlife | Larval host, attracts moths Deer, rabbit resistant |
Growing Sacred Datura: Seed vs Transplants
Sacred datura is a common wildflower, but is not common at garden centers. I’ve only seen them sold at nurseries that specialize in native plants such as Spadefoot Nursery (Tucson) and Borderlands Nursery (Patagonia) which often has plants and seeds for sale.
You can also gather seeds from the round, spiky seed pods, provided you do so responsibly.
Before collecting seeds, please see A Guide to Collecting and Growing Sonoran Desert Wildflowers. This brochure published by the Native Arizona Plant Society will tell you everything you need to know about collecting and sowing wildflower seeds.
Sacred datura is considered a monsoon wildflower, which means you should sow seeds in late spring or summer before the monsoon rains begin. If you decide to grow plants from seeds, scarify them first by either nicking them with a file or soaking overnight.
If you decide to start with a nursery plant, dig a hole three times as wide as the root ball but no deeper. Amending the soil is not recommended. Counterintuitively, backfilling with the same native soil you just dug up helps your plant develop a stronger root system.
Try to disturb the roots as little as possible. Wildflowers generally don’t like being transplanted. And never dig up wild datura! They have deep tap roots and won’t survive transplanting.
How to Care for Sacred Datura
Whether you’ve recently planted a new sacred datura or have an existing one in your yard, here’s how to take care of it to keep it healthy and looking its best.
How to Water
The University of Arizona recommends watering newly planted ground covers every 2 to 3 days for the first 2 to 4 weeks. After that, water once a week for the next two weeks, and then every 10 to 14 days after that.
The first year, water your plant every other week during the summer. During the winter, it normally does not need any supplemental water.
After the first year, your plant should be able to survive on rain fall alone, provided you have normal summer rains. If not, water them on a schedule that mimics monsoon rainfall. Plants can get leggy and will flower less with too much water.
Should You Fertilize?
There’s no need to fertilize sacred datura, it gets all the nutrients it needs from the desert soil.
How to Prune
Sacred datura rarely needs pruning, but if you wish to encourage bushiness, cut it back in the spring.
Plant Lover Facts
Sacred datura goes by many common names including thorn apple, sacred thorn apple, Indian apple, western jimson weed, and jimsonweed.
Its native range includes Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico, but it has naturalized throughout much of the US, Europe, and Australia where it’s become invasive in disturbed areas.
The genus Datura belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae) making it related to tomatoes, potatoes peppers, and eggplants.
This plant was traditionally used to treat snake and insect bites, wounds, and as a disinfectant. But its main use was as a mind-altering substance. It was used in religious ceremonies and in rites of passage, and by shaman to transcend reality and enter other worlds.
It is still used recreationally to induce hallucinations. This is not recommended since it has a long list of side effects and can be lethal.
Sacred datura was a favorite subject of the renowned painter Georgia O’Keeffe. One of her datura paintings sold at auction for $44 million, which set a world record for the most expensive painting created by a female artist.
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Author Bio
Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for over 15 years.
Photo Credits
Arizona State University’s Virtual Library of Phoenix Landscape Plants
Alan Schmierer, CC BY-SA 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Clinton & Charles Robertson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons