Re: brugmansia

Tracie - 

I don't know everything about these guys, but it is a plant that I've become 
addicted to.  I have a datura that blooms a double yellow and a double, 
yellow inside/purple outside at the same time.  The seedlings of this plant 
are coming up very different, some with a greener foliage and some with the 
purple stems and veining in the leaves.  I think that each seed comes out 
with a different dominate gene.  My guess is that it would bloom all three 
colors but I'm not an expert with the datura varieties.  

It's funny how they have named these plants two different things botanically, 
but they carry the same common name "angel trumpet".  The brugmansia vs. the 
datura, they do have very different gowth habits, including the stem 
development.  The brugmansia generally has greener, longer and more narrow 
leaves ....whereas the datura tends to have deeper colored leaves and they 
start off a little rounder.  

As someone described earlier, the datura has the trumpets that go upward and 
the brug has the dangling (larger) flowers.

I didn't know until yesterday that the brugmansia could develop a seed pod, I 
believe Don shared that information.  As far as your root cutting, I guess 
when you see him bloom you will know if it is a datura or a brugmansia.  One 
thing I have noticed is that the datura will bloom as a smaller plant.  My 
brugmansias seem to require some size before it will give me blooms.  I've 
also experienced that the datura will bloom in partial sun.

A note about the possibility of a tri-colored datura.....my first year of 
gardening (4 yrs ago) I purchased one larkspur at a garden center to see how 
it would do in my climate.  The one larkspur bloomed pink, purple and white.  
The seedlings I have had from this plant each year have surprised me, I've 
gotten some that look bluer and some that are on the lavender side.  I 
understand that the seeds might have diverted back to the species form rather 
than the hybrid.....I guess this too could occur with the "metal" datura that 
you have.  I believe that the daturas that I have came from a Texaco parking 
lot....my sister-n-law borrowed a seed pod from the road side garden.  I've 
had the datura's for three years now and I never seem to get the exact color 
I had the year before.

Good luck, I guess time will tell about your datura "metal"....if it does 
bloom tri-colored let us know.....I bet there are some of us who would love 
to trade seeds with you....hint, hint....ME!!!!

Happy Gardening

Kemberly McLain
Katy, Texas  Zone 9

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