devil’s breath plant – Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

By Marcia Kirinus, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SMvolunteer of Durham County

(Left to right) Buff colored Brugmansia gracing a home in Coimbra, Portugal. Bright orange Brugmansia, ‘Charles Grimaldi’ in Durham, NC. Pink Brugmansia beginning to open up in Durham, NC. (Image credit: Marcia Kirinus)

Brugmansia, known by some sinister common names such as Angel’s Trumpet and Devil’s Breath, embodies high drama in the plant world. With its foot-long, pendulous blooms that sway in the evening breeze and its intoxicating fragrance, it lures both humans and night-flying pollinators from mid-summer to late October. Its scent is so powerful that it has found a place in commercial perfumery. The color palette of its flowers is equally alluring, with blooms ranging from pristine whites to buff, peachy pinks, pale golds, muted oranges, and salmon. In full bloom, mature specimens put on a spectacular display, becoming the star of the garden late in the season when most things have stopped blooming. However, these seductive flowers come wrapped in folklore, magic, and an unmistakable aura of danger.

Plant of the Night

The life cycle of Brugmansia’s flowers follows the rhythm of day and night. As the sun begins to set, its trumpet-shaped blooms unfurl, releasing a sweet and heady fragrance that fills the evening air. This gives Brugmansia another common name, the “Moonflower.” During the day, its flowers hang like sleeping bats, with their petals tightly closed, and no scent lingers. The timing of their bloom and fragrance production is under circadian control, which works well if you enjoy throwing cocktail or dinner parties on the back deck on a sultry autumn evening. It is also a welcome highlight on Halloween as trick-or-treaters come to your door and your orange Brugmansia is in full bloom. No other decoration needed!

(Left) Single orange Brugmansia planted at the front door greeting trick or treaters. It is next to a double flowered white Brugmansia. Planted below the orange tree is another plant in the same family; Nicotiana sylvestris. (Right) Single yellow flowering 30 foot Brugmansia tree on the back corner of the Melo House in Coimbra, Portugal. (Image credit: Marcia Kirinus)

Cloaked Pollinators

*Placidula euryanassa.*
(Image credit: Claudio Dias Timm CC BY-NC-SA)

When doing research for this article, I found conflicting information on pollinators. Most sources suggest something that flies around at night since that is when flowers open. Others say hummingbirds. Maybe all of the above depending on the species and geographical location, but it’s clear that we still don’t really know. A publication from the University of South Florida suggests that the dominant pollinators of B. suaveolens are most likely bats and night-flying moths. Butterflies also seem to play a role where B. suaveolens is a larval source for the butterfly Placidula euryanassa. Studies show that the caterpillars can consume the toxins without harm, storing the poisonous alkaloids in their bodies to ward off predators later in their life cycle.

The Weedy Side of Brugmansia

While Brugmansia’s flowers are dramatic, the plant itself can look weedy and unkempt when not in bloom. It is hardy in USDA Zones 7–10 and grows quickly, often reaching heights of 15 to 35 feet. It works well as a background shrub or small tree in garden design. Although Brugmansia is said to prefer full sun, I’ve had more success growing it in partial shade in my Durham, NC (Zone 8a) garden. Like most members of its family, Solanaceae, it likes water, which could be a reason to grow it in some shade. This plant only emerges when the soil warms, so it works well to plant spring and early summer-blooming flowers in front of it until it takes center stage in late summer through autumn.

Growing Brugmansia in My Garden

I first encountered Brugmansia on the roadsides of subtropical Brazil, growing under larger tree canopies. Its large, bell-shaped flowers in shades of white, pink, and orange captivated me instantly. Later, I saw it thriving in northern California gardens and decided to try it in my own garden in Durham, NC.

That was years ago when Durham, NC, was considered USDA Zone 7. Brugmansia is borderline hardy in Zone 7, making each winter a gamble. I eventually started planting the rootstock deeply, below the frost line, to protect it from frost. This delayed its emergence even more, but when the plant finally came up in late summer, it rewarded me with a spectacular display.

Today, I have two dependable Brugmansia plants—a double white and a single orange—that return each year. Interestingly, the orange one blooms earlier, just in time to avoid the first frost, which can otherwise cut short the flowering season. The white one is hit or miss depending on weather conditions. I hear the same from others that have these plants growing in Durham, NC. Apparently the flowers need a very long growing season to fully open.

A Freaky Family

Brugmansia is a member of the Solanaceae family. This family blurs the lines between food, poison, and magic, with plants like Solanum lycopersicum (tomato), Capsicum (pepper), Solanum tuberosum (potato), Nicotiana (tobacco), Atropa belladonna (belladonna), and Hyoscyamus niger (henbane).
The family brews a veritable chemical cauldron of both desirable and deadly compounds referred to as tropane alkaloids. These include nicotine (Nicotiana), solanine (Solanum), capsaicin (Capsicum), atropine (Atropa), scopolamine (Datura), and hyoscyamine (Hyoscyamus)—chemicals that have been used as healing drugs in small doses, misunderstood or abused as addictive substances, and used as pesticides and warfare agents (e.g., sarin) in toxic doses.

(Left to right) Other relatives of Brugmansia that belong in the Solanaceae family: Nicotiana sylvestris, tomato fruit Solanum lycopersicum, Atropa belladonna flower; Datura wrightii. (Image credit: NCSU Plant Toolbox– peganum CC-BY-SA 2.0; Böhringer Friedrich CC BY-SA 2.5; Puusterke CC BY-SA 4.0; Kenraiz CC BY-SA 4.0)

Dangerous Beauty

Every part of Brugmansia is toxic. It contains dangerous alkaloids, like scopolamine, which can induce hallucinations and, in larger doses, have fatal effects. These alkaloids have historically been used in rituals to induce altered states of consciousness or to connect with the divine.

Shrouded in Shadowy Lore

Brugmansia is steeped in mystery and legend. Its downward-pointing flowers are said to serve as a bridge to the afterlife, with folklore suggesting they can draw spirits from graves. In a haunting twist, legend has it that sleeping under a Brugmansia plant may summon angels to claim your soul before you wake. The fragrance is reputedly narcotic. How true any of the stories are is questionable but perhaps telling. Embedded in the legends are nuggets of truth around the toxicity of the plants.

Brugmansia, an intoxicating beauty with folkloric connections, makes it a fitting plant for the Halloween season. Its nocturnal habits, eerie association with spirits, and dramatic blooms bring mystery and enchantment to any garden, especially under the October moon. However, don’t forget the danger of its deadly properties. Inhale its perfume, but keep your distance—it can kill you.

Resources and Additional Information

US Forest Service, The Powerful Solanaceae: www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/Mind_and_Spirit/solanaceae.shtml

Kew Gardens, University of Chicago press: A horticultural, botanical and ethnobotanical tour-de-force: the first comprehensive monograph on this genus: https://www.brugmansia.us/huanduj/