What is this flower/bush?

Jayne Wall
by Jayne Wall
This "bush" has grown up behind a rhododendron in my flower beds and is taking over. It appears to spread underground as it has popped up at the edges of the lawn surrounding the flower bed as well.
  77 answers
  • Mariposa Mariposa on Sep 17, 2013
    That is Datura, the spiny pods are where he seeds are. It can be very invasive and the root underneath travels.
  • Julie Moyna Julie Moyna on Sep 17, 2013
    I wish i knew. It's all over in our local mountains too. So pretty I wanted to take one home but didn't want it to turn out to be a take over weed.
  • Mariposa Mariposa on Sep 17, 2013
    I have one that I grow in a container to keep it under control. I cut the pods off as soon as they come out and don't let them go to seed.
  • 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) on Sep 17, 2013
    I agree it is datura
  • Angie W Angie W on Sep 17, 2013
    Just as everyone has said it is a Datura, these are very fragrant, they are perennials (mine was-zone 6), they open toward evening , they are related to the moon flower vine......I love these.....Would anyone be willing to share seeds??...Send me a pod?...I would gladly pay shipping....
    • See 1 previous
    • Suni Suni on Sep 19, 2013
      @Angie W they can be bought anywhere , even walmart
  • Decor Plant design Decor Plant design on Sep 18, 2013
    A beautiful white Angel Trumpet, very fragrant at night. I have several seed pods available.
  • Jayne Wall Jayne Wall on Sep 18, 2013
    I'd like to move them from their current location to another part of the yard where they are free to sprawl. Anyone know how I save the seeds for spring planting? There are a lot of pods on the plant, so I'd be happy to share them.
  • Angie W Angie W on Sep 18, 2013
    I would love some......I never pulled my pods off until they turned brown and kinda crunchy.....Then open them, there are gobs of seeds inside. Those of you who will share my e-mail address is diamondhair1@hotmail.com ......I will send you shipping or SASE for seeds.....Thank you...
  • Paul M Paul M on Sep 19, 2013
    also known as Moon Flower
  • Tena Barke Tena Barke on Sep 19, 2013
    I have a plant with many pods that I'd be willing to share - @Angie W and @Sandy Brown Horton
  • Sunnie Muir Campos Sunnie Muir Campos on Sep 19, 2013
    While sharing this beautiful flower, please remember that it is Datura aka locoweed and is considered toxic when ingested.
  • Patricia Brown Patricia Brown on Sep 19, 2013
    I have thousands of seeds, or will have as the pods dry out. I will gladly share the seeds if you just send me a self addressed, stamped envelope. These plants are very prolific and they reseed themselves every year without the least bit of help from me, and always come up in a new place as well! Send to Patty Brown, 128 Sunline Pl, Spartanburg, SC 29307
  • Roberta Eagleston Roberta Eagleston on Sep 19, 2013
    I pulled mine up. Thought it was a weed. Spreads all over! Blooms were pretty but didn't notice any nice fragrance. Have noticed several small starts that I have also pulled up.
  • SUE HOGAN SUE HOGAN on Sep 19, 2013
    I WOULD LOVE SOME OF THESE SEEDS ALSO AND WOULD BE HAPPY TO PAY
    • Angel Bernier-Fritz Angel Bernier-Fritz on Sep 19, 2013
      @SUE HOGAN these are moon flowers I have lots of seeds and would be happy to send some to you!my e/mail is fritzymama@msn.com.
  • Alice Harley-Wosnig Alice Harley-Wosnig on Sep 19, 2013
    We had one of these (wild) angel trumpets. By the next year we had them coming up all over the place where the birds spread the seeds. Once they get their taproot in, it is almost impossible to eliminate them. They smell wonderful but their seed pods are as bad as chestnuts. I personally don't care for them.
  • In many states this plant is considered a "noxious weed", and it is poisonous when eaten by your pets, cattle, deer and other animals!! While lovely, it needs to be in the right location so as not to be a danger to our wildlife and pets. They are easily found as seeds on EBAY.
  • Angel Bernier-Fritz Angel Bernier-Fritz on Sep 19, 2013
    this is a moon flower!
  • Elaine Simmons Elaine Simmons on Sep 19, 2013
    This is Angel Trumpet Datura as many suggested. Angel, it is known as moon flower in certain parts of the country. Sunnie is right about it being a noxious weed and poisonous as I have had a bad experience with it. Here is the story......I also had a vegetable garden and I am sure what happened is that some of the seed from the Datura blew into my veggie garden. I went to cut lettuce one day and since the lettuce was a mixed variety, I did not notice that there was Datura in my garden. That evening I ate a salad and a few hours later, I got so dizzy, I could hardly stand up. I did know at that point that it was poisonous but never thought I would be eating the plant! So believe it when someone says it is poisonous! It also spreads like crazy. I would never plant it in my flower bed!
  • Jayne Jayne on Sep 19, 2013
    I have some of these pretty Moon flowers growing in my garden up here in north central Minnesota, too. Very hearty plant, beautiful flowers.
  • Darlene F Darlene F on Sep 19, 2013
    I would run from it that is a very evasive weed
  • Goldengirl422 Goldengirl422 on Sep 19, 2013
    Moon flowers...seeds are hallucinative and can be deadly
    • Judy Judy on Sep 19, 2013
      @Goldengirl422 Whole plant is poisonous, leaves, flowers & seeds.
  • F.a. Arthur F.a. Arthur on Sep 19, 2013
    It is a member of the moon flower family, but it Is Datura. Moon flower is a vine, opens its blooms at night and smells devine. It has seed pods that are not like these shown in the picture. Datura is more bush like, moon flowers here in the Atlanta area can grow up to 20 ft.
  • P P on Sep 19, 2013
    These are not moon flowers. They are Angel's trumpets. My neighbor has them growing in her garden. She purchased them at a plant sale from our local botanical garden a few years ago. Moon flowers are smaller and don't produce the seed pods like these, and grows on a vine, the flowers opening at night, hence the name Moon Flowers. These are Angel's Trumpets.
    • Laurie Laurie on Aug 01, 2017

      My moon fowers look exactly like the picture and have no fragrance.

  • Gail Haskins Wiford Gail Haskins Wiford on Sep 19, 2013
    Okay now I have to look this up because I was have this and was told it was Moon flower bush and my does smell really nice :)
  • Anna Marie Gustafson Anna Marie Gustafson on Sep 19, 2013
    heirloom Datura...also known as angel trumpet...all parts poisonous but, at night, when they open...highly perfumed....very visually beautiful...just be careful when they are around children and pets--let kids and parents know, no handling and eating anything on this beautiful plant...hallucinogenic and other reactions, ingestion can be fatal...some have reactions when handling, I can prune without gloves but best to wear them and wash hands when done...very striking in the garden or like ours, along the driveway...they start to venture into the driveway and I prune them well, they still live and some grow upward a bit...prune into more compact shapes as well, can be done..they keep coming back each year. Mine were here since the home was built--1928. Google "Datura" and check info on them...wise to do given their poisonous embodiment...on the side of our home, note on opposing ends, Datura lives...this was taken in mid Sept. last year and it is fuller this year...
  • Linda Hilbert Linda Hilbert on Sep 19, 2013
    I have this growing up the rails of my pool. I keep tearing it down.
    • Judy Judy on Sep 19, 2013
      @Linda Hilbert You may be confusing this with Bindweed which is a member of the Morning Glory family & has much smaller flowers than Datura.
  • Marie Smylie-Darling Marie Smylie-Darling on Sep 19, 2013
    In the uk it's called bind weed,it kill's all your plant's as it wind's round and round them,it is very difficult to get rid of ,as it root's very easily ,I have it in my garden and it is choking all my plant's.you have to burn it when you cut it from your plant's you cant compost it as it will grow again.
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    • Marie Smylie-Darling Marie Smylie-Darling on Sep 19, 2013
      @Judy Thank's Judy,they look so alike though,very confusing,lol
  • Tracey T Tracey T on Sep 19, 2013
    I just planted some and this makes me happy to see. I can't wait until mine looks like this! Beautiful!!
  • Diana Morris Diana Morris on Sep 19, 2013
    This is a Moon Flower. They are all over many states. They do spread out over time and can get quite big.
  • Kelli Vancil Kelli Vancil on Sep 19, 2013
    My grandmother had this right outside her kitchen window and she called it the moon flower plant. The stems and leaves were velvety to the feel and the flowers had a nice smell. It did get rather tall, reaching the windows, which allowed us to smell the flower when a breeze would blow. It brings back wonderful memories. I don't recall it being invasive at all. If anybody is willing to share seeds, I would also like to have some and would be glad to send a sase or pay for shipping. My email is vkelli@hotmail.com
  • Linda Hilbert Linda Hilbert on Sep 19, 2013
    ok thank you.
  • Patricia Brown Patricia Brown on Sep 19, 2013
    No need to pay! I am happy to share...just the postage!
  • Brenda De Lair Brenda De Lair on Sep 19, 2013
    I too believe that they are Angel's trumpets. The seed pods are a dead giveaway. As you have been cautioned, they are toxic and please note that teens sometimes take the seeds as an halucinagen (sp?). Unfortunately it is very easy to overdose and it is deadly.
    • Ginnie Ginnie on Sep 19, 2013
      @Brenda De Lair angel trumpets are on thick stems similar to plumerias. blooms hang down on the turmpets.
  • Emma Dorsey Emma Dorsey on Sep 19, 2013
    not angel trumpets but moon flowers
  • Barbara Aubrey Barbara Aubrey on Sep 19, 2013
    well if it is Datura - it is candy to the deer even if the charts say it is deer resistant.
  • 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) on Sep 19, 2013
    Here is a post that give a good reference for how an Datura moonflower is different than a Ipomea moonflower http://www.hometalk.com/diy/different-types-of-moonflowers-1817106 This is a picture of a moonflower from my garden (Ipomea~ which is in the morning glory family) http://www.hometalk.com/diy/one-of-my-favorites-44763 And this one is the Datura moonflower http://www.hometalk.com/diy/abloom-in-my-yard-1813208 This is the seedpod of a Datura moonflower http://www.hometalk.com/diy/what-s-happening-currently-in-my-yard-1822469
  • Avalon Pendragon Avalon Pendragon on Sep 19, 2013
    Datura aka thorn apple
  • Darlene Darlene on Sep 19, 2013
    I agree with Datura. It is toxic. I had them in my back yard a few years back. I had them in a pot and they just kept growing until it snowed.
  • Roye Nell Love Roye Nell Love on Sep 19, 2013
    I believe this is a Moonflower. If so, they are lovely, because they are showy in your garden at night. Excellent for white gardens.
  • Nancy W Nancy W on Sep 19, 2013
    I love moonflowers, have tried and tried to grow them and they die... This one is gorgeous.. :-)
  • Angie W Angie W on Sep 19, 2013
    and a Brugmansia Trumpet flower seed pod.. http://www.sommergardens.com/GardenBlog/TabId/66/ArtMID/580/ArticleID/460/Angel-Trumpet-Podfest-2011.aspx The pod makes all the difference...
  • Angie W Angie W on Sep 19, 2013
    I have found that boughten seeds do not grow as good as newly harvested seeds....Sometimes seeds set in the stores for years....I have only had good luck with newly harvested seeds....Thanks
  • LeSannO LeSannO on Sep 19, 2013
    This flower is not near as large as the Angel Trumpets we have in our area. They are probably 3 times the size of this one, so large they don't look real but are so beautiful. They come in a pale pink/peach & yellow also. I heard you could root from a stem. Would love to have Angel's trumpet. Angel's Trumpet makes a full bush. They aren't a vine. They will get rather tall. There is a church in our area that has some that are 6 ft tall, maybe taller. This looks like the size of a Morning Glory. Very pretty. I love the pods they make. Would love to have one for the flower & the pod.
  • Ste232045 Ste232045 on Sep 19, 2013
    datura thats what that is i have 3 of them
  • Goldengirl422 Goldengirl422 on Sep 19, 2013
    @ Judy from grants pass oregon. do you know Sue and Steve Eakin? They are cousins. The only reason I know anything about moon flowers is some kids at high school used the seeds and had to be hospitalized ...one was in a coma for awhile. This was several years ago.
  • Kim Proul Kim Proul on Sep 19, 2013
    moonflower!
  • Virginia Virginia on Sep 19, 2013
    Looks like MOON FLOWERS!
  • Virginia Virginia on Sep 19, 2013
    Heart shaped leaves.... I'm right! (as always). It's a moon flower.
    • See 2 previous
    • 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) on Sep 20, 2013
      @Virginia Your picture is that of a Ipomea alba moonflower. If you look at the leaves and the stem structure you can see they are different from the one that is posted for identification.
  • Virginia Virginia on Sep 19, 2013
    AND the seeds..... because I like to be sure I'm always right (when I say I'm always right)....
  • Angie W Angie W on Sep 19, 2013
    Thank you Tena....I will need your address to send a SASE for seeds.....You can send that privately to diamondhair1@hotmail.com.......Thank you so much !!
  • Sherry Goolsby Sherry Goolsby on Sep 19, 2013
    Yeah,it's a MOON FLOWER. Mine came up voluntary and had a deep purple ,way down in the center. It has me confused tho because my Brugmansia had PRICKLY seed balls after it bloomed,NOT my MOON FLOWER.
  • Angie W Angie W on Sep 19, 2013
    Sherry, did it look like this?...This is a Datura.......They are all related...
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    • Angie W Angie W on Sep 20, 2013
      @Alice Harley-Wosnig ...Hi Alice.....I would love to have one of these.....You wouldn't happen to remember where you ordered it from would you?........These are beautiful aren't they?.....Thanks !!
  • Angie W Angie W on Sep 19, 2013
    Found this on a seed distributors site:.......Angel's trumpet is a common name for plants in the Brugmansia and Datura genera. Brugmansia trumpets hang down; datura blooms point up. The seed pods differ, too. They are removed to encourage more flowering or left to ripen if you wish to sow seed. Datura produce bumpy seed pods. Brugmansia seed pods can resemble okra, eggs or beans and do not have bumps or spines. Datura pods open when ripe. Brugmansia pods yellow and soften on the plant when ripe. Snip these, and press fresh seed into a well-draining soil, but do not entirely cover. Mist. Germination can take days or weeks. Seeds from hybrid brugmansias do not produce offspring like the parent. It can be fun to grow your own, however. Or you can easily propagate angel's trumpet from cuttings.
  • Bettamaxypoo Bettamaxypoo on Sep 20, 2013
    Does look like Moon Flower except for the seed pod. FYI Moon Flower is poisonous. Lost my dog to the seed pods which look more like the morning glory pods that the Moon Flower is related to. My kids found the dog. Would never have the flower in my yard again. Beautiful flower though.
  • Karan Cox Karan Cox on Sep 20, 2013
    It is a datura and very poisonous. I bought one several years ago being sold as a moon flower vine. There is no vine to a datura. It is by my front door and each year I have had them come up all over even the other side of the drive. I do have ti keep it trimmed back and pull small starts so it will not cover the sidewalk.
  • 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) on Sep 20, 2013
    This is an excellent example of why common names can cause so much confusion. Both the Datura (shrubby &poisonous and spikey green seed pods) and the Ipomea,(vine, heart shaped soft leaves, nut-like seed pod) have a common name (MOONFLOWER) in common. It IS a Datura It IS a moonflower It is not a Ipomea alba 'Mooonflower'
    • See 2 previous
    • Bonnie Bonnie on Mar 08, 2014
      @Sheila Conlon The Datura will be a shrubby bush, and the Ipomea is a vine. Both are considered annuals if grown in cooler climates. They can be considered invasive in southern climates. If your seeds are in a packet that you bought at the store, it is most likely the vining plant that you have. They bloom at night.
  • Charlotte Charlotte on Sep 20, 2013
    Need to check with your state and city ordinance to make sure they have not been outlawed due to very toxic and are being used as a drug. One city in Oklahoma it is a $500.00 fine to grow.
  • Judy Judy on Sep 20, 2013
    Jayne, listen to Donna Dixson! She knows what she's talking about!
  • Mable Dotson Mable Dotson on Sep 20, 2013
    That is definitely an Angel Trumpet! They smell so good in the evening when they open their blooms! However, they are highly toxic and are related to the Jimsen Weed. They come in various colors and are very pretty.
  • Alice Harley-Wosnig Alice Harley-Wosnig on Sep 21, 2013
    I love them. Mine died after the 1st year and I haven't reordered. I'll see if I still have the info on it. Here are the seed for them. http://parkseed.com/ballerina-mix-angels-trumpet-seeds/p/00381-PK-P1/ I don't order from e-bay. You can also do a search on Google and find all kinds and colors that are doubled. Good luck
  • Judy Judy on Sep 21, 2013
    Yep, that's angel trumpet, Datura, which needs to be kept away from children and pets and handled carefully. The leaves, if handled much, can cause hallucinations. Gorgeous flowers and fun, pokey seed pods. Oddly enough, I just noticed a volunteer Datura had grown near our wood pile. I've never ever planted them anywhere near the wood pile, but evidently some bird or other animal managed to transport a seed from the main plant 70+ feet away. I'm bringing in the plant in a week or so to try to winter it over. By the way, after I found out how toxic they were, I caged them in to prevent the kids or pets getting to them. I'll have to do the same in the house, to keep the cat from having contact with the plant.
  • Cheryl Cheryl on Sep 21, 2013
    It is commonly known as a moon flower as it blooms at night but the leaves you are showing are different than the poisonous one if you look at the sites. I have one that I got the seeds from someone in OHIO & they come up every year from the root & from of course the seed pods. I think the area I got them from in OH is zone 5. I have handled them lots *& not had a problem. Though I will tell you they do spread but you can just cut them back as they are hardy. They are perennial as far north as zone 5 & I am in zone 7. I even have a couple growing in pots that have survived winter here.
  • Sandra S Stone Sandra S Stone on Sep 21, 2013
    This is a moon flower and that is a seed pod full of seeds
  • Cyndi Neumann Cyndi Neumann on Sep 22, 2013
    My moonflower bloomed this year and is beautiful, saucer size bloom early evening and early AM before the sun rises and gets bright. But, the pods do not look like this and I did not know it was poisonous. Will have to watch it for my pets! Thanks for info! Smiles, Cyndi
  • Karen Jackson Karen Jackson on Sep 24, 2013
    It is called a moon flower and it will spread and get huge. It comes back every year and just keeps getting bigger. I cut mine back 3 times this year and when I cut it down, it was 9ft. across and 6ft. high.
  • Mary Mary on Nov 07, 2013
    It is called a moon plant it will come back ever year with a lot of little ones if you don't get the pod before it seeds
  • Patricia Freeman Patricia Freeman on Mar 06, 2014
    All I know is that it is a type of Morning Glory and they have been outlawed in a lot of places across Texas. I wanted to plant some but it's not allowed in my Central Texas town :(
  • Sheila Conlon Sheila Conlon on Mar 06, 2014
    The seed photo taken on standard steno pad for some sense of size. Thank you for your help
  • Raed Raed on Mar 07, 2014
    Its name (Datora) use as a anesthetic;the smell of flowers like limon;its class as a poison plant..but it's flowers attractive especially in morning..the family solanaceae.
  • Elaine Simmons Elaine Simmons on Mar 08, 2014
    I am a good example of how toxic Datura can be. Bear with me as this is kind of a long story. I had some Datura by the house and my veggie garden was probably 100 feet from my house. I planted lettuce in the veggie garden that was a mixed variety. A bird must have carried the seed to my veggie garden and planted it in the lettuce. When my lettuce was mature enough to cut, I cut some for my evening meal. A couple hours later I got really dizzy and could hardly walk. At that time I lived alone so it was kind of scary. I didn't know why I was dizzy then. The next day I looked in my garden and there was a datura flower blooming. It then hit me what I had ingested!
  • Mary Swanson Mary Swanson on Mar 08, 2014
    I live in Western Colorado and deliberately grow this. I believe yours is a datura meteloides (it is even sold in nurseries here) I have dogs and they avoid it. The leaves stink. The seed pods are too prickly. Nevertheless it is poisonous and should be kept from anyone/anything who might eat it. The flowers are amazing. They open quickly enough to watch them open.The scent is wonderful.
  • Debi Matlack Debi Matlack on Jun 22, 2014
    Datura, sometimes called Devil's trumpets because their flowers point up, related to brugmansia/Angel's Trumpets (the flowers hang down) Datura usually comes back from seed while brugmansia only grows true from cuttings. Both are poisonous and hallucinogenic if ingested.
  • Elaine Simmons Elaine Simmons on Jun 23, 2014
    Debi is right........you would think the flowers would point up on a Devil's trumpet but they don't..........they hang down.
  • Linda Hopper Linda Hopper on Jun 23, 2014
    My mom called this plant a Gypsum weed or a Jimson weed. Although she called it a weed...she grew it as a flower. I have a few of these and love them. The seeds are carried by animals, birds and the wind and do come up in spots they are not welcome but are easily pulled.
  • Nan10125097 Nan10125097 on Aug 16, 2016
    This is a moonflower. Blooms at nite till the sun hits it during the day and then wilts, forming these pods with millions of seeds. When dried up they break open and when the seeds dry, they fall to the ground and the strong survive and come up the next year.