50 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



The ample leaves of soft green give to the cultivated spe- 

 cies an attractive look even when out of bloom, but when the 

 plants are brightened by hundreds of immense flowers like 

 morning-glories, they present a sight that is long to be remem- 

 bered. The flowers are often a foot in length and white 

 tinged with violet in color. In most of the species the flowers 

 are borne erect, but in others they hang down, probably from 

 their sheer weight. For the most part the Daturas have the 

 habit of blooming at the approach of evening but the blossoms 

 seldom close with the promptness that characterizes other 

 night blooming species which makes then ornamental for a 

 part of each day. 



Undoubtedly the best species for out-door cultivation in 

 the United States is the desert trumpet flower (D. uieteloidcs) 

 of Mexico and the Southwest, shown in our frontispiece. It 

 grows quickly from seed, begins to bloom early in July, and 

 when once in flower continues to produce its great, showy, 

 lilac-tinted blossoms until frost. It is commonly treated as an 

 annual but it is really a perennial and will stand temperatures 

 nearly to zero if protected. The species most commonly seen in 

 cultivation is Datura fastuosa. It is a native of India and 

 is usually known as Datura cornucopia in the catalogues. 

 This is the plant most commonly known as angel's trumpet or 

 horn-of-plenty. The double form in which there are often 

 three corollas, one within another, is much admired but fre- 

 quently this form is merely a mass of petals, white within and 

 purplish without. When the trumpets are complete and dis- 

 tinct, the flowers may have .some claim to attractiveness, but 

 since the shape and size of the blossoms are their chief claims 

 to beauty it is likely that single forms may prove more de- 

 sirable. A yellow-flowered plant has been called Datura 



