Thornapple or stramonium belongs to genus Datura which consists of
fifteen species distributed all around the globe.
This plant is mainly naturalized in warmer regions on the globe such as
Central America and parts of Asia.
The plant is sometimes grows in public garden and private gardens as an
ornamental plant.
Datura varies from plant, shrub and trees. The plant can reach 3-6 feet
in height and gives a bushy look.
The roots of thornapple are long and thick having many fibres. The stem
of the plant is stout and erect, multi branched and yellow-green in
colour.
The leaves are large and angular of about 4 to 6 inches long, wavy and
toothed at the margin and normal at the base.
The flower of thornapple blooms in summer, and it is huge, beautiful and
3 inches long.
The fruit is thornapple which seems to be like thorny walnut containing
egg shaped seed capsules. The herb is basically narcotic yet has been used
as medicinal herb.
Thornapple is cultivated in open and wide areas with full sunlight and
sunny condition.
The plant thrives in well drained and rich in calcareous soil. But it
can also do well in loamy and sandy soils.
Leaves, seeds, roots, thornapple
The key constituents of thornapple are alkaloids like hyoscyamine,
associated with atropine and hyoscine and malic acid.