Family: Solanaceae
Species: Brugmansia arborea
Common name: It is called “angel’s trombone” or “trumpet of the dead” because the inhabitants of South America, where it originates, consider its consumption dangerous for life.
Description
Endemic plant of Ecuador. Brugmansia arborea is a plant native to the Andes, central Ecuador, and northern Chile.
Brugmansia grows into a large shrub or small tree, with a drooping habit reaching 3–11 metres in height.
It has an irregular, brown-brownish trunk that can take on increasingly greenish shades of colour as it nears the branches. The numerous leaves have a decidedly ovate shape and become more pointed towards the apex. The drooping flowers are bell-shaped, with a colour ranging from white to light yellow to pink. They vary in size—typically 20–30 centimetres in length—and emit a sweet scent at sunset.
Brugmansia produces smooth, berry-shaped fruits containing numerous seeds. These fruits are thornless; the stems, leaves, and fruit are velvety to the touch.
Notes and Curiosities
Brugmansia is often confused with another plant of the Solanaceae family: Datura. However, it differs in various respects. Datura is a herbaceous plant that grows as an erect bush and bears upright, trumpet-shaped flowers, whereas Brugmansia is a shrub or small tree with pendulous, scented flowers. The fruits of Datura are spiny capsules, unlike the smooth berries of Brugmansia. Geographically, Datura has a broader and more diverse distribution, while Brugmansia is native to the tropical regions of South America. Both plants are toxic due to the presence of alkaloids.
Plants of the genus Brugmansia, known since ancient times by the peoples of Central America, were used to prepare potions with inebriating and narcotic effects, but not for therapeutic purposes.
In Villa Heller’s garden, Brugmansia arborea produces beautiful bell-shaped, pendulous summer flowers that intoxicate visitors with their intense scent towards sunset. It is not resistant to the cold, so in this garden on Lake Garda, it has found its proper place, although it is still kept sheltered.