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Jimsonweed

Datura stramonium

Found in roadsides, fields and disturbed ground. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Highly poisonous

Not native to Virginia. Not suggested for planting. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
1–4 feet
Spread
1–4 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Highly poisonous. Serious poisoning risk if eaten. Excluded from default planting suggestions; keep away from children and pets. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
July to September
Fruiting season
August to October

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 97 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

9CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Datura

  • Agrius cingulataPink-Spotted Hawkmoth, Sweet Potatoe Caterpillar
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Emmelina monodactylaMorning-Glory Plume Moth
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Manduca quinquemaculatusFive-Spotted Hawkmoth, Tomato Hornworm
  • Manduca sextaCarolina Sphinx, Tomatoe Sphinx, Tobacco Hornworm
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
  • Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Datura

  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Solanaceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Purple or white
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
October
Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGU
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources