Flora of New Zealand Series

Hairy shrub 1-2-(4) m high. Petiole to c. 10 cm long, with dense, short, curly hairs. Lamina to c. 25 × 18 cm, usually much smaller on flowering shoots, ovate or narrow-ovate, sinuate to shallowly lobed, with dense short curly hairs, ± tomentose when young; lobes in 2-3 pairs, ovate with broad rounded sinuses; base cuneate, sometimes asymmetric; apex obtuse or acute. Fls pendent, not fragrant; pedicels tomentose. Calyx 7-10 cm long, 2-lobed and ± spathaceous, splitting down 1 side, puberulent; larger lobe with 2-3 acute teeth. Corolla single, either all yellow or partly so with upper tube and lobes orange-red, puberulent outside; tube 16-20 cm long, broad-cylindric, c. 1.5 cm wide at base; lobes 1.5-2.5 cm long, very narrowly triangular to subulate, reflexing, with broad sinus. Filaments tomentose in lower adnate part; anthers 1.2-1.4 cm long. Capsule to c. 9 cm long, ellipsoid, pendent, puberulent. Seed 8-12 mm long, rugose.

N.: Wellington; S.: Waimea County (Nelson), Dunedin; Ch.: Wharekauri Homestead area.

N. Andes 1981

Mainly in coastal areas on waste land, roadsides and in modified coastal scrub.

FL Jan-Dec.

Poisonous (Connor 1977).

B. sanguinea is fairly common in cultivation in coastal parts of N.Z. and occasionally wild plants occur as casual escapes. The sp. does fr. in N.Z., but wild plants have probably originated by vegetative spread from garden refuse. The red and yellow forms seem to be equally common and thus either may be expected to escape. They are indistinguishable vegetatively. The sp. has been previously known as Datura rosei and D. sanguinea in N.Z.