[thawrn] 
| 1. | any poisonous plant belonging to the genus Datura, of the nightshade family, the species of which bear capsules covered with prickly spines, esp. the jimson weed, D. stramonium. |
| 2. | the fruit of certain hawthorns of the genus Crataegus. |
| da·tu·ra (də-tŏŏr'ə, -tyŏŏr'ə) n. Any of several plants of the genus Datura, having trumpet-shaped flowers up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) long and usually prickly fruits. The leaves and seeds yield alkaloids with narcotic properties. Also called thorn apple. [New Latin Datura, genus name, from Hindi dhatūrā, from Sanskrit dhattūrāḥ, thorn apple.] |
| thorn apple n. See datura. |
thorn apple
annual, herbaceous, tropical plant (Datura stramonium) of the potato family (Solanaceae) that has become an introduced weed throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere. The plant was used by Algonquin Indians in eastern North America as a hallucinogen and intoxicant. The leaves contain potent alkaloids (hyoscamine and hyoscine), and the plant has been used to develop a drug (stramonium) for treating asthma.
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