Datura quercifolia, Chinese Thorn-Apple, Southwest Desert Flora

Datura quercifolia, Chinese Thorn-Apple

Chinese Thorn-apple has large showy whitish-blue flowers that bloom from May to October. Datura quercifolia

Chinese Thorn-apple is a native Thorn-apply that can grow up to 3 feet tall or so. It is often found in disturbed areas and dry hillsides. Datura quercifolia

Chinese Thorn-apple is an annual species with dramatic foliage with dark green often pinnately compound leaves. Datura quercifolia

Chinese Thorn-apple is a mounding plant with dramatic leaves and fruit. The fruit is erect with relatively few, very unequal stout spines Datura quercifolia

Scientific Name: Datura quercifolia
Common Name: Chinese Thorn-apple
Also Called: Chinese Thornapple, Oak Leaved Angel's Trumpet, Oakleaf Datura, Oak-leaf Thorn Apple, Oak-leaf Thorn-apple (Spanish: Toloachè)
Family: Solanaceae, Nightshade or Potato Family
Synonyms: (Datura ferox, Datura villosa)
Status: Native
Duration: Annual
Size: Up to 3 feet more or less.
Growth Form: Forb/herb; mound shape.
Leaves: Green; often pinnately lobed
Flower Color: White or light blue, fading toward purple with age; corolla less than 2½ inches long, 5-toothed; fruit erect, spines relatively few and very unequal, larger spines more than ⅓ inch long, very stout.
Flowering Season: May to October.
Elevation: 4,000 to 6,000 feet.

Habitat Preferences: Roadsides, disturbed areas, dry hillsides, plains.

Recorded Range: In the United States Datura quercifolia is found mostly along the southern states and southern coastal states and also in California, Kansas, Maryland, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

North America & US County Distribution Map for Datura quercifolia.

U.S. Weed Information: In North America Datura quercifolia can be weedy or invasive according to the following authoritative sources: Weeds of the United States and Canada. Plants included here may become weedy or invasive.

Invasive/Noxious Weed Information: No information available.
Wetland Indicator: No information available.
Threatened/Endangered Information: No information available.

Genus Information: In North America there are 11 species and 11 accepted taxa overall for Datura. World wide, The Plant List includes 13 accepted species names and includes a further 25 infraspecific rank for the genus.

In the Southwestern United States, Arizona and California and New Mexico each have 5 species of Datura , Nevada and Utah each have 2 species and Texas has 4 species. All data is approximate and subject to taxonomic changes.

Comments: Datura quercifolia, or Oakleaf Datura, is so named because its leaves somewhat resemble that of an oak leaf. Arizona has 5 species of Datura; 3 native and 2 species from northern Mexico and South America.

In Southwestern Desert Flora also see Desert Thorn-Apple, Datura discolor and Western Jimson Weed, Datura wrightii.

Datura quercifolia has been used for food as a psychological aid by Western American indigenous peoples.
Keres, Western Drug, Psychological Aid, Roots eaten to see into the future.
See ethno-botanical uses at Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan, Dearborn.