Engelstrompeten closeup
Brugmansia arborea was discovered and described in 1725 by the Paulaner cleric Frater Louis Feuillée under the name Stramonioides arboreum for the first time - a drawing of it can be found in a book of 1723 which was illustrated by the famous french graveur Piére Giffart. The first plant material of Brugmansia arborea itself reached Europe at a later time - it was named then Brugmansia cornigera.
The species itself has well formed white flowers and a heavily pubescence on its dark green leaves.
All brugmansias rated as Sphaerocarpiums are said to be tricky regarding temperatures and culture - so there are some commendable exceptions. Brugmansia arborea and some of its hybrids such as 'Engelsgloeckchen' (an arborea hybrid) or Mobisu (flava hybrid) flower readily in normal central European summers. Brugmansia arborea is the only one among the members of the cold group, which also has a descent - sometimes overpowering fragrance. Thus, the wild species, even in balmy evenings perfumes the air with a fresh lemon fragrance - 'Engelsgoeckchen' (an arborea hybrid), however, exude a scent reminiscent of vanilla. It is also the only species in the group Sphaerocarpium which is autogamous - that means self-fertile.
Caution - in older books - particularly in those from the English and Latin-American area name a brugmansia hybrid as arborea which is not a representative of it. The mistake results of a publication by Ruiz and Pavón in which a white x candida plant is given the name B. arborea.
It is easily propagated by seeds - as far as you get the right ones - and by semi-woody cuttings.
(Synonymous, today unvalid Brugmansia- and Datura-names for B. arborea: Datura cornigera, Brugmansia cornigera, Datura knightii, Datura speciosa and Datura fructescens)
Here a few images:
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Literature
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Engelstrompeten. Brugmansia und Datura von Ulrike Preißel und Hans-Georg Preißel
Ulmer (Eugen); Auflage: 2., völlig neugestalt. u. erw. A. (1. April 1997)
- Das grosse Buch der Engelstrompeten. (Taschenbuch) von Anne Kirchner-Abel, Werner Abel, Vera M. Hesels, Akawa Privatgarten Verlag; Auflage: 1., Aufl. (Dezember 2003)
Other Web-Links:
www.brugmansia.us (BGI - a internationale forum for brugmansia growers and breeders)
www.ibrugs.com (the ICRA for brugmansias - following ABADS)
www.engelstrompeten.de - Langenbuscher Gardens
www.hannover.de - The brugmansias of the Herrenhaeuser Gardens/Hannover/Germany
