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jimson weed

A poisonous annual plant (Datura stramonium) in Solanaceae, the nightshade family. It has stinky leaves and white trumpet-shaped blooms and is the source of many useful alkaloids, including atropine, hyoscine and hyoscamine. It's name is a corruption of "Jamestown weed"; reputedly, the early settlers in Jamestown, Virginia discovered the toxic effects of the plant when a cook collected several of them as a side dish to a meal.


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