Brugmansia aurea

{{Speciesbox

|image = Brugmansia aurea03.jpg

|status = EW

|status_system = IUCN3.1

|status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Hay, A. |date=2014 |title=Brugmansia aurea |volume=2014 |page=e.T38124A58906215 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T38124A58906215.en |access-date=15 November 2021}}

|genus = Brugmansia

|species = aurea

|authority = Lagerh.

|synonyms = Brugmansia pittieri

|range_map = Distribution.brugmansia.aurea.png

}}

Brugmansia aurea, the golden angel's trumpet, is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae, endemic to Ecuador. Since March 2014, it has been listed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN but before that, it was listed as Vulnerable.

Despite being declared extinct in its native range, Brugmansia aurea is a popular ornamental and is widely cultivated, like the other members of its genus. It is sold and grown as a garden plant, described as a large evergreen subtropical shrub capable of growing to {{cvt|20|ft|m|abbr=on}} in height. The large, pendent, trumpet-shaped yellow or white blooms appear in summer and autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. These flowers produce a sweet and pleasant fragrance, which is at its strongest in the evening.{{cite web |title=12 plants for evening scent |url=https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/plants-for-evening-scent/ |website=BBC Gardener's World Online |accessdate=12 July 2019}}

File:Brugmansia aurea 12.jpg

Etymology

The Latin specific epithet aurea means "golden".{{cite book | last=Harrison |first=Lorraine | title=RHS Latin for Gardeners | year=2012 |publisher=Mitchell Beazley | location=United Kingdom | isbn=978-1845337315}}

Cultivation

Several cultivars exist, notably 'Grand Marnier' with peach-coloured flowers. As with other members of its genus, it cannot handle temperatures below {{cvt|5|C|F|abbr=on}}, but in colder climates can be placed outside in a sheltered spot during the summer months.{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/115966/brugmansia-aurea-grand-marnier/details | title = Brugmansia aurea 'Grand Marnier' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 7 September 2021}}{{Cite web |title=Angel's Trumpet, Brugmansia |url=https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/angels-trumpet-brugmansia/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Wisconsin Horticulture |language=en-US}}

Synonyms

Brugmansia affinis
Datura aurea
Datura affinis

Toxicity

All parts of the plant are poisonous."[http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/annual/angels-trumpet/ Angel's Trumpet]," The Better Homes and Gardens Plant Encyclopedia.

Uses

It is used as a hallucinogen. Its most potent cultivar is Culebra Borrachero, which has a high concentration of the psychoactive scopolamine.{{cite book|first=Christina |last=Pratt|chapter=Brugmansia Aurea|title=An Encyclopedia of Shamanism|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HltJMMq1_60C&pg=PA68|year=2007|publisher=Rosen Publishing|isbn=978-1-4042-1040-0|pages=68–70}} It has also been used as a truth serum.{{Cite journal |last1=House |first1=Robert E. |title=The Use of Scopolamine in Criminology |journal=The American Journal of Police Science |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=328–336 |date=1931 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1147361 |doi=10.2307/1147361 |issn=1547-6154 |jstor=1147361 |df=mdy-all }} Borrachero loosely translates to "get-you-drunk", and scopolamine is also known as Devil's Breath{{Cite web |last1=Draper |first1=Lucy |title=Does the 'Devil's Breath' Drug Really Exist? |work=Newsweek |date=2015-09-03 |url=http://europe.newsweek.com/does-devils-breath-drug-really-exist-332465 |accessdate=2017-04-13 |df=mdy-all }} and burundanga.{{Cite web |last1=Cotroneo |first1=Christian |title=The World's Scariest Drug |work=The Huffington Post |date=2013-09-03 |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/03/devils-breath-scopolamine_n_3860318.html |accessdate=2017-04-13 |df=mdy-all }}

References

aurea

Category:Endemic flora of Ecuador

Category:Vulnerable plants

Category:Garden plants of South America

Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot