By Grace Broyles
Big Country Master Gardener
Moonflowers are gorgeous flowering plants for the night garden, and beautiful hunter-green ones to add interest in a front flowerbed during the day. The white trumpet-like flowers open in the evening to glow all night long and wilt as the new day dawns. But the plant itself stands erect and begins to ready for another night show.
Moonflowers, also called Jimsonweed, Thorn Apple, or Sacred Datura, are one of several varieties of trumpet-like flowering plants in the nightshade family. Its botanic name is Datura wrightii, after a botanical collector from Connecticut. The Moonflower is native to the southwestern United States into Texas and northern Mexico. Moonflowers are found naturally along roadsides and in other disturbed areas, and sometimes in a flowerbed. They are propagated from seed that are produced in the thorny round seed pod each flower produces. The seeds drop to the ground and will germinate when conditions are ideal, usually after a drying period. When temperatures warm up and there is plenty of moisture, the seeds respond. Some seeds may be ingested by birds then carried off to sprout in a unique spot, like in a rain gutter. Others may be given a ride by mowers and other equipment to drop elsewhere. Seeds may lie dormant for many years before germinating.
The 6-inch trumpet-shaped flowers of the Moonflower grow upright on a stout stem and produce a sweet, almost honeysuckle-like smell. They bloom for one night only, then drop off the next day. The Moonflower plant can grow up to 4 to 5 feet tall and wide, and can produce many flowers from April throughout the summer into late fall with sufficient moisture. The flowers are not only enjoyed by those of us who notice Moonflowers at night, but also by Sphinx or Hawk moths which are drawn in by the fragrance and are one of the few pollinators able to reach the nectar deep inside.
Warning: All the parts of Moonflower plants are toxic when enough is consumed, and cause a narcotic or hallucinogenic effect. Most animals leave it alone.
If you have any questions about gardening and plants, call the Taylor County Extension Office at 325-672-6048 or email us at mgardeners@yahoo.com. We hope you visit bcmgtx.org for information on all Big Country Master Gardener events, like us on BCMGA Facebook, and check out training presentations on BCMGA YouTube. We are here to help you.
