Datura stramonium (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Datura stramonium L.

Protologue: Sp. pl. 1: 179 (1753).

Synonyms

Datura tatula L. (1762).

Vernacular names

• Thorn apple, jimsonweed, devil's apple (En). Pomme épineuse, stramoine (Fr)
• Indonesia: kucubung leutik (Sundanese), jarak pendek, kacubung wulung (Javanese)
• Thailand: lanphong khao.

Distribution

Probably of American origin; now found all over the world, but particularly common in warm temperate regions. In South-East Asia, D. stramonium only occurs in some locations in Java, where it is naturalized, and also in mountainous regions in Thailand.

Uses

In Java, D. stramonium is an ingredient of certain traditional medicines to treat fatigue, pain and for curing sprains. .

Observations

An annual herb up to 120 cm tall, stem glabrous or nearly so; leaves rhombic to angular-ovate or ovate-oblong, 6-20 cm × 3-15 cm, exsculpted-dentate-pinnatilobed, petiole up to 10 cm long; flowers with corolla 5-9 cm long, simple, white or pale purplish; fruit always erect, densely covered with strong and long prickles. D. stramonium is locally naturalized in Java at higher altitudes (1000-2100 m) and grows in sunny and fertile locations such as on waste land and in tea plantations.

Selected sources

87, 97, 112, 193, 343, 346, 549, 561, 562, 580, 588, 652, 847, 1277.

Authors

Sri Hartati, Imastini Dinuriah & M.M. Blomqvist