Brugmansia sanguinea, the red angel's trumpet, is a species of South American flowering shrub or small tree belonging to the genus Brugmansia in tribe Datureae of subfamily Solanoideae of the nightshade family Solanaceae. It has been cultivated and used as an entheogen for shamanic purposes by the South American Indians for centuries - possibly even millennia.[1]
Description
Brugmansia sanguinea is a small tree reaching up to 10 m (33 ft) in height. The pendent, tubular/trumpet-shaped flowers come in shades of brilliant red, yellow, orange and green.[2]
Distribution
B. sanguinea is endemic to the Andes mountains from Colombia to northern Chile at elevations from 2,000 to 3,000 m (6,600 to 9,800 ft).[3]
Toxicity
All parts of Brugmansia sanguinea are poisonous. Different parts of the plant contain tropane alkaloids in varying proportions. Alkaloid content in the flowers is mainly atropine with only traces of scopolamine (hyoscine).[4][5] The seeds of B. sanguinea contain approximately 0.17% alkaloids by mass, of which 78% are scopolomine.[5]
Gallery
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