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Datura wrightii [Sacred Datura]


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Rørslett, B. 2013. Datura wrightii Regel (Solanaceae). Sacred Datura. Flowers photographed in visible and ultraviolet light. http://www.ultraviol...-sacred-datura/

 

Datura wrightii Regel

Possibly conspecific with Datura inoxia Mill. ('Datura innoxia' auct.)

NO: Amerikansk piggeple

SE: Amerikansk spikklubba

EN: Sacred Datura; Thornapple; Jimson Weed

 

This is a sprawling annual or perennial species native to southern deserts of USA and adjacent districts of Mexico. Outside these regions it can occur as an introduced weed.

 

It is a desert plant with a long history of being used by native tribes for medical or seremonial purposes. The entire plant is toxic due to its high content of alkaloid substances. Thus, the plant has a pungent and unpleasant smell. Seeds may have been used by hippies as well as a hallucinogenic drug.

 

The flowers are funnel-shaped and showy due to their size as the corolla can be up to 20 cm in length. The flower is initially twisted when it breaks free of the calyx. Later, the lobes spread. Each of the five lobes feature a long tip densely covered with hairs (could be conical cells). The tips unfurl when the flower matures. Colours of the flower range from a creamy white to pinkish purple. Accordingly D. wrightii sees some use as an ornamental plant.

 

Stems and foliage are pubescent to make the plant soft and velvet-like to touch. However, its smell is a warning not to overdo this.

 

Plants photographed in Joshua Tree National Park, California (USA) 5 Mar 2012. They were found growing on sandy soils along park roads.

 

DATU_WRI_G1203052724_VIS.jpg

Image reference: DATU_WRI_G1203052724_VIS.jpg

Visible light: Nikon D3X, Fisheye-Nikkor 16 mm f/3.5 lens, daylight. Geometry corrected in Aftershot Pro 1.1.30 during post processing.

 

It seemed appropriate to depict the Sacred Datura with a Harley-Davidson bike rider as a backdrop.

 

DATU_WRI_I1203054440_UV.jpg

Image reference: DATU_WRI_I1203054440_UV.jpg

Ultraviolet light: Nikon D40X, Coastal optics 60 mm f/4 APO lens, Baader U 2" (Venus) filter, SB-140 flash.

 

In UV, the corolla of D. wrightii features large dark patches and stripes on its abaxial side. These darker areas are populated with conical cells as well. Pistills and stamens are a light colour in UV, though.

 

DATU_WRI_I1203054445_UV.jpg

Image reference: DATU_WRI_I1203054445_UV.jpg

Ultraviolet light: Nikon D40X, Coastal optics 60 mm f/4 APO lens, Baader U 2" (Venus) filter, SB-140 flash.

 

Seen from the outside, the entire corolla and the calyx are iridescent and shiny in UV. These characteristics are not seen in visible light.

 

DATU_WRI_I1203054446_UV.jpg

Image reference: DATU_WRI_I1203054446_UV.jpg

Ultraviolet light: Nikon D40X, Coastal optics 60 mm f/4 APO lens, Baader U 2" (Venus) filter, SB-140 flash.

 

The tips of the corolla are strongly twisted as the young flowers break out of their buds. There is a UV-shiny appearance to the tips and the rim of the corolla.

 

 

[Published 1 May 2013]

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