Plant up to 130 cm tall, branched, dense pubescent-villous. Leaves 7-18 x 4.5-12 cm, broadly ovate, repand to sinuate-dentate, base oblique to cuneate. Petiole shorter than lamina. Pedicel 10-25 mm long, reflexed in fruit, tomentose with brownish hairs. Calyx 7.5-10.5 cm long, 1/2-2/3rd the corolla length, 5-lobed, slightly inflated toward the base; basal portion persistent and strongly reflexed in fruit; lobes unequal, triangular or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, up to 22 mm long. Corolla tube 15-17 cm long; limb 6-8.5 cm broad, 10 (-12) lobed; lobes broad triangular, acute or acuminate. Anthers 9-11 mm long, white. Capsule globose, 4-5 cm broad, dense spiny, nodding; spines acicular, 5-10 mm long. Seeds 4.5-5 mm long, reniform, compressed, brown, minutely reticulate, rugose-lineate on the back.

Fl. Per.: May-October.

Type: Described from material cultivated at the Chelsea Physic Garden, (from Mexico) Vera Cruz (BM).

Distribution: C. and S. America, W. Indies, S. Western USA. Naturalised in the Mediterranean area, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Malaysia.

A native of tropical S. America. Datura innoxia is related to Datura meteloides DC., but differs in the ± erect habit, smaller flowers, the larger stigmas and shorter styles. A common plant of roadsides and weedy places, from sea level to 1524 m. The plant parts as in the other Datura species are poisonous. The poisonous seeds are intoxicating and are also used as a cure for hydrophobia (Bhandari, Ind. Desert 269.1978).