between brugmansias and daturas? Yesterday at our hosta society meeting we had a silent aution and there were 3 pots of daturas. Only they looked just like brugs! I asked several people what the difference was and no one knew. (These are hosta people, after all. lol) Please help!
Thanks,
Carmen
What's the Difference
To me there is a lot of difference. I don't think the leaves look like Brug leaves, the growth of the plant is different, and the blooms point up where brug blooms hang to the side or straight down. Brug blooms last for several days and datura blooms last one day, maybe two if it is very cool out. Datura bloom daily for a long time once they begin to bloom but don't usually have tons of blooms at one time where brugs bloom more in flushes, tho there are some that seem to have a bloom or two on them all the time between flushes. I also think the spider mites like brugs better than datura. Hope this helps.
Good information, Brugie! Also, Brugmansia are woody plants, Datura are herbaceous. Brugs live for decades, Datura are short lived perennials, or annuals. The fruit of Brugs has no spines, Datura fruits are spiny. Brug seeds have corky coatings, Daturas do not.
Maybe you should ask your hosta people why anyone needs 200 varieties that all look the same... ;-)
We won't even go there, John. I just officially joined the group yesterday, and I don't want to get thrown out already! lol
Thank you both for some great information as to the differences. It is interesting to note that Brugs are called Angel Trumpets and Daturas are called Devil Trumpets. I wonder if that has something to do with the spiny fruits.
Angel Tr. bloomslook down from Heaven, Devils Tr. look up to Heaven.
Carmen, John is teasing, he's a hosta person, too!
After having just peeled a bunch of Brug seeds, I have to say I prefer a Datura harvest! LOL Hey, with Datura, you might get poked a few times, but once the pod is open you only have to dump out the seeds. I am now cross eyed from just one Brug cross! LOL
Ronna is right, I probably hit the 200 mark last summer myself. I know I was up to 166 last time I counted. I must confess, last fall I traded some Brug cuttings for hostas...
John (ducking the flying spiny seedpods)
I also noticed that dats like little water, and NO fertilizer and brugs lolololol well-----------they like loads of both.
John, you have 200 hostas?!? I was so proud of my little 20 different ones. lol
I am a hosta/daylily/iris person. I love the look of the brugs that hang down. Is there a tutorial on the web anywhere for a newbie? I would like to know more! I am going to try and start some datura seeds also. I can remember chopping them down for Dad on the farm. The hybrid are lovely these days. Also do the datura smell? Someone told me they do.
Teresa
I'm growing Brugmansia from seed for the first time this year, so I'm not an expert on them; but, from what I've read, they are happier in containers than the Datura I've grown.
Sounds like a good size Brugmansia can be happy in a 5 gallon bucket.
I haven't found that to be the case with Daturas. They tend to have a pretty rapidly expanding root systems and it seems to me they would do a little better in the ground.
I think the scent varies with varieties and species; but, most Daturas have sweetly scented flowers and, uh, unusually scented leaves. I don't find the smell of the leaves "bad" exactly; but, your mileage may vary. I know the neighborhood cats don't like it...
eje, I think a container grown Datura might receive more care than it prefers! They don't mind poor, dry soil, or unfertile ground... unlike Brugs which thrive on fertilizer and don't like their rootballs to ever dry out.
This is such great information. Thank you all. I have some wonderful Brug cuttings and I'm getting some Dat seeds, so this will help greatly in placing them as well as (fingers crossed) getting them to flower.
I grew some dats once that smelled like lemon and nair hair remover :S---- lol cheryl
Pardancanda,
You're probably right.
I've always had a hard time with "tough love".
This year, I vow to be meaner to my Daturas.
Though, from what it sounds like, I started growing Brugmansia just in time...
;-)