Rusty Hinge writes
Ragnar wrote:
According to Wikipedia it is potentially fatal IF INGESTED, so
touching the plant should not be harmful. If you have pets be sure
to pick up fallen leaves. If it sets seed pods remove them at once.
Best of luck. Let us know if you survive.
R.
"hound" wrote in message
news:I5GdncfIPsKx8M7XnZ2dnUVZ8iOdnZ2d@brightview .co.uk...
newish here - so after some sensible advice. I know Datura is
poisonous - but how poisonous? I'm not going to be eating it!!!!,
but do I have to wash my skin if I touch it by mistake, or is it not
so dangerous? Thanks, people.

But the juice is pretty nasty if it gets on the skin.

Lovely scent and good for attracting bees.

I don't have to wash after pruning Datura, but I did get a rash from
Euphorbia last summer. So for me it's not as irritant as Euphorbia.
(It's not as irritant as bosenberry come to that). But people vary
immensely in what they are sensitive to and to what extent.

Various Daturas are used to produce hallucinogenic effects, so I
wouldn't advise eating it.
--
Kay

Even breathing the scent of Datura can have an effect on the brain.

Euphorbia can be incredibly dangerous. I know one florist who was temporarily blinded after handling it. She still has problems years later.

K wrote:
Rusty Hinge writes
Ragnar wrote:
According to Wikipedia it is potentially fatal IF INGESTED, so
touching the plant should not be harmful. If you have pets be sure
to pick up fallen leaves. If it sets seed pods remove them at once.
Best of luck. Let us know if you survive.
R.

The smell alone is enough to put most people off it. The plant smells
unpleasant when bruised or sap is released. The flowers smell divine in
the late summer evenings which makes them worth growing.

"hound" wrote in message
o.uk...
newish here - so after some sensible advice. I know Datura is
poisonous - but how poisonous? I'm not going to be eating it!!!!,
but do I have to wash my skin if I touch it by mistake, or is it
not so dangerous? Thanks, people.

It is a pretty good idea to wash hands and anything that comes into
contact with it. It is mainly dangerous by ingestion, but I once had a
hint that prolonged skin contact was not such a good idea.

But the juice is pretty nasty if it gets on the skin.

Lovely scent and good for attracting bees.

I don't have to wash after pruning Datura, but I did get a rash from
Euphorbia last summer. So for me it's not as irritant as Euphorbia.
(It's not as irritant as bosenberry come to that). But people vary
immensely in what they are sensitive to and to what extent.

You don't get a rash but you can get light headed from getting the sap
on you. The seeds make a very potent rodent killer in the greenhouse.

Various Daturas are used to produce hallucinogenic effects, so I
wouldn't advise eating it.

The threshold between interesting effects and death is rather narrow
which is why the plant is banned in some jurisdictions.

Regards,
Martin Brown