Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
DATURA METEL
Botanical Name —
Datura metel
Linn.
Synonyms —
D
.
fastuosa
L. var.
alba
(Nees) C.B.Cl.,
Brugmansia waymannii
Paxton.,
Stramonium datura
Noronha
Family —
Solanaceae
Common Names
—
Hairy thorn apple, metel
African Names
—
Arabic: oshb daturah; Ashanti: aweawu; Hausa: zak'ani, haukata yaro;
Fulani: manga jidde; Igbo: myaramuo; Malinke: kidi ganian; Swahili: mnanaa, mnawha, muranha;
Twi: kwasea-dua; Wolof: homhom bug or. Hompay bu gor; Yoruba: apikan
Description —
D. metel
can be differentiated from
D. stramonium
by its somewhat brownish
color, with entire margins and differences in venation and trichomes. The seeds are light brown
in color and ear-shaped; they resemble
D. stramonium
in the internal structures but can be distin-
guished by their larger size and more flattened structure. It possesses the disagreeable odor and
taste of
D. stramonium.
The morphological differentiation of the species can be established from
the microscopic characteristic of the powdered flowers.517
517
Habitat and Distribution —
This is a deciduous forest shrub, also found in rich savanna. The plant
is distributed throughout the continent. It is often found in wastelands in many parts of West Africa.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
Most parts of the plant are employed in traditional medicine through-
out the continent. It is used as a weak decoction for fevers and as an anthelmintic, insecticide, and
instillation for eye diseases The leaves are used in Senegal and Guinea as an application for inflam-
matory swellings, rheumatism,
6
and general body pains. The plant is recognized as a deliriant and
is often added to locally brewed beer and palm wine to stupefy victims with the intent to rob them.
The Fulani use the leaves and sometimes the seeds in the preparation of a tonic used to drug youths
to enable them to withstand the ordeal of the
Sharo
contest of manhood.
The constituents and pharmacology described are as described for
D. stramonium.
DATURA STRAMONIUM
Botanical Name —
Datura stramonium
L.
Synonyms —
D. tatula
L.,
Stramonium vulgatum
Gaertn.
Family —
Solanaceae
Common Names —
Green thorn-apple, apple of Peru, devil's apple, devil's trumpet, jimsonweed
