[gardeners] moonflowers / Jimson Weed
flylo@txcyber.com (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 1 Oct 2001 12:50:48 -0500
I have an awful weed (about a trillion zillion of them) growing in the
goat lots, horse fields, etc. Anywhere you stir the soil these things
pop up. I call them Jimson Weed's evil cousin. They're a form of
datura but not the big angel trumpet flowers. They have little white
quarter-sized flowers and the plant is covered in thorns, even the
underside of the leaves have thorns. They're awful! Goats nor
anything else will touch them, but the true angel's trumpet (Jimson
Weed) the goats will devour. I can't tell if they get high from the
experience,they're nutty goats after all.
Moonflowers: I grew these in Houston when I was a teenager and
the seeds are almost bean or pea sized and black. You have to
either abrade them or soak them before they sprout and one vine
will cover a big porch. The leaves are huge and flowers are saucer
sized but don't have the 'trumpet' stem portion like Jimson weed.
The first hint of cold and they wilt away leaving a big ugly dead
messy vine. Mine reseeded with a white seed and they were
infertile so maybe the plant needs 2 to pollinate?
Morning glory has heart shaped leaves but it's a small leaf
compared to moonflowers. Little known fact: Morning glory root is
made into an essential oil called 'High John The Conqueror', and is
a wonderfully floral scent. (I use it in a lot of my milk soaps.)
The stuff runs about $12 per 1/4 oz, I always feel so guilty when I
pull the vines up! martha