Family: Solanaceae (nightshades)

Status:

Description:
An erect annual herb, usually about 1m high, which may be single stemmed if small but is usually branched. Stems are smooth and stout. Leaves have pointed lobes on the margins and a strong unpleasant smell when handled. The flower is a large white trumpet to about 8cm long. Spiny seed capsules form at forks between branches. They are green at first, ripening to brown and split at the top to release numerous black seeds.

Preferred habitat and impacts:
Generally found growing in full sun on grazing land, roadsides or waste ground. Prefers disturbed sites with fertile soils such as stock camps or riverbanks where it can become abundant.

All parts of the plant are poisonous to humans with some early records of child deaths after eating the seeds. Some people may develop headache, nausea or dermatitis from close contact with the plant. Toxicity to stock is variable. Horses and pigs have been poisoned but cattle appear to eat it without ill effect. The disagreeable smell and taste would discourage consumption, but dried material included in hay could cause problems. Seed included in harvesting of grain crops can also be toxic to humans eating products made from the grain or to stock fed the grain.

Dispersal:
Seed and seed capsules float on water, and are spread in mud on machinery and vehicles. Feeding of contaminated hay or grain or sowing of contaminated agricultural seed.

Look-alikes
Other species of Datura are grown as garden plants for their showy flowers and are not known to be invasive. There are other weedy species of Datura which occur in western parts of NSW and could occasionally turn up on the coast from contaminated hay or seed. All look quite similar.

Control
Small infestations can be chipped out prior to the seed capsules forming or spot sprayed. If seed has already formed, collect and dispose of it carefully (burning or deep burial). Herbicides will be more effective on young than mature plants.