Brugmansia.
There are 6 or 7 species of Angel’s or Devil’s trumpets all from South America.
(Some Datura plants are known by the same common name.)
The large shrubs or small trees up to 11 m high are widely used as garden plants.
They may have multiple trunks due to the growth of suckers and they branch freely.
Parts have simple hairs, sometimes dense that may be curly, wavy or crinkled.
The simple ovate leaves, on petioles up to 6 cm long are alternately arranged.
They can be from 7 to 30 cm long and 3 to 18 cm wide with a pointed tip.
The wavy edge can be smooth or have a few teeth or lobes and the base may be asymmetric.
The surfaces may be smooth or have fine hairs without glands.
Axillary inflorescences are mostly a solitary pendulous flower.
On pedicels around 4 cm long they are funnel or trumpet-shaped.
They come in white and a wide range of colours including yellow, pink, orange, green and red.
The tubular calyx has 5 sepals up to 12 cm long that are fused for most of their length.
It may be partially split down one side like a spathe or have up to 5 round or pointed lobes.
The corolla, of 5 petals can be up to 40 or 50 cm long.
It has a narrow base then widens to the flaring lobes at the top.
There may be 5 or 10, long or short triangular lobes ending in a point or a long tendril.
The lobes, each with 3 prominent veins often curve backwards.
The 5 stamens, on filaments up to 5 cm long insert just below the centre of the corolla tube.
There are hairs on the lower part of the filaments.
Basifixed anthers, around 2.5 cm long open through longitudinal slits.
The smooth superior ovary, of 2 fused carpels has 2 or 4 locules.
The thin style can be nearly 20 cm long and has a stigma around 6 mm long.
The hairless fruit, said to be up to 20 cm long are usually surrounded by the calyx.
The numerous, rarely seen black or brown seeds are around 1 cm across.
Brugmansia species
Brugmansia aurea.
Growing up to 4.5 m high it has large yellow or white flowers up to 25 cm long.
Brugmansia arboria.
A shrub or small tree up to around 6 m high.
There are fine dense hairs on the young leaves and stems and later on the fruit.
The ovate leaves have coarse teeth.
The flowers, at 18 to 20 cm long are among the shortest of the Brugmansia species.
The spathe-like calyx is almost as long as the corolla tube.
The corolla lobes are white or cream.
Brugmansia insignis.
It is 3 to 4 m high with flowers in shades of white and pink.
The tendrils on the lobes are up to 6 cm long.
Brugmansia suaveolens.
Large shrubs around 3 to 4 m high with oblong to ovate leaves up to around 20 cm long.
Solitary flowers, on 4 cm long stalks have a calyx around 10 cm long with 5 unequal lobes.
The narrow trumpet-shaped corolla, around 30 cm long is white or cream.
The curved tip of the lobes is short being only 1.5 cm long.
Brugmansia versicolor.
This has the largest flowers of all the Brugmansias being up to 50 cm long.
The white flowers may age to pink or apricot.
Bergmansia vulcanicola.
This shrub or small tree up to 4 m high also has small flowers.
The 15 to 20 cm long flowers have lobes no longer than 1.5 cm.
They are shades of red, pink and yellow.
J.F.
