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Desert Thornapple
Datura discolor
  
2 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Desert Thornapple (Datura discolor) 2 Nurseries Carry This Plant Datura discolor, also called the desert thorn-apple, is an herbaceous annual plant native to the Sonoran Desert of western North America, where it grows in sandy soils and washes. All parts of the plant contain a mix of alkaloids that are potentially lethal when enough is ingested. Deaths from careless recreational use of Daturas and related plants are frequently reported. The species was first described in 1833. The term discolor, meaning "various colors," refers to its upward-growing trumpet-shaped flowers, which are white in the bell, and pale to dark violet from the narrow part of the bell to the base. The plant itself is an upright or low-lying shrub that can grow to 4 1/2 feet tall. Its foliage is light green, and its stalks have conspicuous purple stripes. The ovate-shaped leaves can be whole or toothed..
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Annual Herb

Size
Size
1.6 - 4.5 ft tall

Flower Color
Flower Color
White, Purple

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 


 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Hyles lineata Image
White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata
*
Manduca sexta Image
Carolina Sphinx Manduca sextaManduca sexta
*
Helicoverpa zea Image
Corn Earworm Moth Helicoverpa zeaHelicoverpa zea
*
Agrius cingulata Image
Pink-spotted Hawkmoth Agrius cingulataAgrius cingulata

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 2

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Sandy, gravelly soils, washes

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 2.5" - 10.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.40" - 1.33", Coldest Month: 47.5" - 64.2", Hottest Month: 77.7" - 89.3", Humidity: 3.89" - 40.91", Elevation: -191" - 2937"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Desert Thorn-apple, Small Datura


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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