Solanaceae

Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav. (Solanaceae)

A) Hábito. B) Tallo. C) Hoja. D) Indumento del envés de las hojas. E) Flor en vista lateral. F) Flor en vista frontal. G) Flor en vista posterior. H) Lóbulo del cáliz. I) Detalle de la corola. J) Estambre. K) Gineceo. L) Corte transversal del ovario. M) Estigma. N) Fruto. O) Semilla. ac: aculeo, an: antera, ca: cáliz, co: corola, eg: estigma, es: estambre, et: estilo, fi: filamento, gi: gineceo, ov: ovario, ovu: óvulo.

A) Habit. B) Stem. C) Leaf. D) Indument of the abaxial surface of the leaves. E) Flower, lateral view. F) Flower, front view. G) Flower, posterior view. H) Calyx lobe. I) Detail of the corolla. J) Stamen. K) Gynoecium. L) Transversal section of the ovary. M) Stigma. N) Fruit. O) Seed. ac: prickle, an: anther, ca: calyx, co: corolla, eg: stigma, es: stamen, et: style, fi: filament, gi: gynoecium, ov: ovary, ovu: ovule.

#botany #flowers #taxonomy #plants #botanica #flores #taxonomia #plantas #botanylovers #iphone #cellphonephotography #amateur #macrophotography #macro #solanaceae #solanum #solanumelaeagnifolium

In the Vamana Purana it is said that the datura flower appeared from the chest of Shiva after he drank the poison churned up by the cosmic ocean.

Shiva literally takes in all the poison of the universe and from it a beautiful flower is born from his heart.

We too can do this when we allow ourselves to fully feel the difficulties and pain in our lives and in the world.
By doing so we often find that the most pain comes from avoiding the “poison”
By surrendering to our pain we find healing, the ability to take necessary actions, and a sense of relaxation.
Of course, this only comes after crossing the barrier, which can be a difficult process… The only way out is through.

Painting is by ba_vierling and features datura, henbane, and belladonna. This is the painting that mythicmedicine mentions in my episode of her podcast.

It is my opinion that Brugmansia is one of the most sacred plants in our world.
Sadly, their power is often abused, misused, and misunderstood.

I think we need to approach plants such as these with knowledge, humility, guidance, common sense, and shrewdness.
But not terror.
A little healthy fear perhaps, but we need not run from the magic of this plant.

I’ll let the words of Christian Rätsch, the voice I trust most when it comes to psychoactive plants, speak more on why we need to be respectful with this particular ally:

Angel’s trumpets are the most potent hallucinogens in the plant kingdom, producing hallucinations that are no longer recognized as such. South American shamans urgently warn unknowledgeable people against using these plants. Angel’s trumpets are used for psychoactive purposes almost exclusively by experienced shamans. Overdoses can result in states of delirium that can last for days and have aftereffects that persists for weeks. Proper dosage presents an additional problem. People react very differently to the tropane alkaloids. In other words, the same dosage can produce completely different effects in different people.

A good way to source datura seeds is to collect them from plants growing locally to you. Almost all the datura I’ve ever grown have come from seeds I’ve found in neighbors gardens or nature trails near my home. This way, you know it will do well in your local climate & you should be able to directly sow in the ground without issue. The spiky seed pods are pretty simple to ID even in the winter.

Datura’s an easy to grow plant & depending on your region, there is very likely a variety that will thrive for you. Due to their beautiful & sweet smelling blooms, they’re a somewhat popular ornamental that you can sometimes find in greenhouses come spring.

Datura has a rich history of medicinal, entheogenic, and ritualistic use spanning every continent except for Antartica. It’s usage has all but fallen out of favor in the last century due to perceived issues with toxicity. Misuse will result in unpleasant side effects, which can potentially last for days and require hospitalization.

Pictured are datura stramonium seed pods I collected today from a trail near my home.