Deadly Beauty

[longknife]

Datura – which Gringos call Sacred – can kill just about anything that tries to eat it. The common name is Thorn Apple, although I can't find where that comes from. It only blooms at night and has a special moth to pollinate it.

Grows all over the southwestern USA and northern Mexico. As Nature always seem to do, creatures won't graze on it because it tastes very bitter.

The reason for my interest? Simple. It plays an important part in a novel I've written that I'm currently shopping around to agents and publishers.

There are a number of other plants that cause hallucinations but without the same chance of death. The story is @ Sacred Datura: Photos of a Beautiful (But Poisonous) Plant

 

[Crick]

I would take a wild guess that "thorn apple" comes from the spiny seedpod.

 

[mamooth]

"Jimson weed" is the name of another datura species, Datura stramonium. It's been used by the native Americans of the southwest to induce visions. However, they've been using it for centuries, so they know how to get the right dosage. The problems often happen when a few teenagers read about it, decide to try it out, and overdose on it.

 

[longknife]

Most medicine people grow their own plants like datura to ensure they know the quality and quantity to use.

And yes, they drum during the ceremony - eerie how it controls heart rhythm to ensure the best results.