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Datura ferox
Also called Large thorn-apple, Long-spine thorn-apple, Angel's Trumpets, Angels' Trumpets, Longspine Thorn Apple, False Castor Oil, Long Spur Thorn Apple
Datura ferox, commonly known as long spined thorn apple and fierce thornapple, as well as Angel's-trumpets, is a species of Datura. Like all such species, every part of the plant contains deadly toxins that can kill animals (including humans) that ingest it. Its fruit, red-brown when ripe, has unusually long thorns or spikes.
The species was first described in 1756 by Linnaeus. Ferox means "strongly fortified," referring to the fearsome-looking spines on the seed pod. The species was long thought to have originated in southeastern China, but recent work by Symon and Haegi has demonstrated that, like all other Datura species, it is in fact native to the Americas. The species is very close in morphology to Datura quercifolia, of which it may constitute a subspecies. Today it is found in all the warm parts of the earth, where it is regarded as a dangerous pasture weed.
All parts of Datura plants contain dangerous levels of tropane alkaloids and may be fatal if ingested by humans or other animals, including livestock and pets. In some places it is prohibited to buy, sell or cultivate Datura plants.
Datura arenicola · Latin Thorn Apple · Desert thorn-apple · Pricklyburr · Datura · Sacred Thorn Apple · Leichhardt's datura · Fireweed · Chinese thorn-apple · Datura · Thorn-apple · Sacred thorn-apple
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Datura ferox by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
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.
