The open plant encyclopedia
Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.
The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.
Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.
Brugmansia suaveolens
Also called Angel's Trumpet, White Angel's Trumpet
Brugmansia suaveolens is a semi-woody, fast-growing shrub or small tree with large leaves and fragrant white trumpet flowers that open at night. It is grown outdoors in frost-free climates and in large containers elsewhere, and needs warmth, shelter from wind, and steady water.
Brugmansia suaveolens, Brazil's white angel trumpet, also known as angel's tears and snowy angel's trumpet, is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to south eastern Brazil, but thought to be extinct in the wild. Like several other species of Brugmansia, it exists as an introduced species in areas outside its native range. It is a tender shrub or small tree with large semi-evergreen leaves and fragrant yellow or white trumpet-shaped flowers.
Brugmansia are grown as ornamentals outdoors year-round in non-freezing climates around the world. They do not tolerate temperatures that fall significantly below 5 °C (41 °F) Like other large-leaved, fast-growing plants, they appreciate a little protection from the wind, as well as from the hottest afternoon sun. They like organically rich soil, frequent water, and heavy fertilizer when in full growth. Both woody and leafy tip cuttings are used to propagate Brugmansia, although thicker cuttings tolerate lower humidity. In northern climes they are often grown out in large containers and wintered over in non-freezing garages or basements. Alternatively they are suitable for a sunny conservatory. They may be trained as standards (with a single, straight trunk).
In cultivation in the UK this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Every part of Brugmansia suaveolens is poisonous, with the seeds and leaves being especially dangerous.
As in other species of Brugmansia, B. suaveolens is rich in scopolamine (hyoscine), hyoscyamine, atropine, and several other tropane alkaloids.
B. suaveolens was originally endemic to the coastal rainforests of south-east Brazil, where it grows below 1,000 m (3,300 ft) along river banks and forest edges with warm temperatures, high humidity, and heavy rainfall. As a result of human interaction with this species, it can now be found growing in residential areas throughout much of South America; and occasionally in Central America, Mexico, California, Greece, Africa and even in parts of Florida.
Flower extracts of the plant have shown pain-killing (antinociceptive) activity in mice. This antinociceptive activity may be related in part to benzodiazepine receptors. B. suaveolens is included in the Tasmanian Fire Service's list of low flammability plants, indicating that it is suitable for growing within a building protection zone. The flowers and the seeds are also traditionally used in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, mixed
Golden Angel's Trumpet · Angel's-trumpet · Arborescent angel's-tears · Angel's Trumpets
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Brugmansia suaveolens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
