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Plant Delights Nursery. September 2003. 'Snowbank', a highly variegated tetraploid introduced by Terra Nova Nurseries. Click image to enlarge.

Copyright 2002-2005. Laurence C. Hatch. All Rights Reserved.
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There are perhaps over 150 strains named in the genus and some are only distributed among avid fans. Some are the very general "white nodding flowers...very fragrant" thing that does not give much separation. A few are probably Datura as the two genera are widely confused and their distinctions debated.

The nomenclature of the group is curious and still confused. We have attempted to sort out the best and earliest names but we suspect many more synonyms exist. For example, the double which B. x candida is sold as 'Plena' or f. plena in Germany. The RHS says 'Knightii' is the oldest name for 'Plena'. In the US the same strain is apt to be sold as 'Double White' or 'Alba Plena'.

We have attempted to assign named hybrid to the best available hybrid species when known.

Here is a good assortment of the best, most available, and distinct strains. We will update the files often as new strains prove themselves. If you have recommendations not seen here, do let us know.

For additional reading and details of culture, propagation, hybridization, and history consult this book:

  • Preissel, U. and H. Preissel. 2002. Brugmansia and Datura. Firefly Books.

 

  CULTIVATED TAXA
WHITE/CREAM 'Betty Marshall' - single, floriferous (to 50 flowers per plants), compact to 4 ft. tall, rich sweet & spicy scent. Probably the best white for smaller gardens.

'Brazilian White' - satiny white, very floriferous strain

x candida (aurea x versicolor) - vigorous, 12-16 ft., this name is used for a single strain with 8 in. flowers

x candida 'Alba' - larger flowers to 12 in. long, leaves also larger

x candida 'Alma' - 8-12 in. flowers, single to double to triple on just one plant

x candida 'Charleston' (candida 'Tutu' x versicolor) - double white, very long corolla lobe tips, bred by H. Blin

x candida 'Culebra' - 6-9 in. whitish-cream, tinged green, lobes distinctly cut, unusually narrow lanceolate to linear leaf. Unfortunately a bit sparser in bloom but worth it for the wonderful shape. See Preissel and Preissel for the unique history of this curious strain with ancient cultic origins. It may be an anomolous form of B. aurea.

x candida 'Double White' ('Alba Plena') - hose-in-hose type double, sweet musk-like scent. Very likely it is the same as 'Knightii'. That said, more than one double strain is known and this US stock may differ from the UK strain.

x candida 'Estella' - white, double, slower, dark green, Dreckman hybrid

x candida 'Knightii' ('Plena', f. plena) - double white, plants to 2m, used in conservatories in Europe

x candida 'Ursuline' - ivory white, 10 foot tall vigorous plants

x candida 'Tutu' ('Tu Tu') - double white, lobes sometimes split as the name implies, cultivated for years. Some stock in the trade is infected by virus

x candida 'Variegata' ('Variegata Sunset', 'Sunset')- white margined leaf, less floriferous

'Don Lucho' - white, very floriferous, vigorous plants

'Engelsglockschen' (arborea x ?) - 8 in. creamy-white flowers, very floriferous, unknown origin.

'Gutty' - white, yellow throat, long lobe tips, 8 in. long, very highly scented

x insignis 'Chumay'

x insignis 'Floripondio De La Costa' - creamy-white, selected by Salvador Chindoy in Columbia.

x insignis 'Single White - large single.

'Cypress Gardens' (versicolor x ?) - trumpet-shaped, drooping flowers, margins upturned for a very elegant look. Color varies with climate and can be pinkish or "almond colored" as Preissel and Preissel describe it. Named for the famous US garden.

'Fantasma' - very large blooms, corolla cut into ribbon-like segments

'Mimi' - cream, yellowish veins, 8 in. long

'Mini Star' (arborea x ?) - 5 in. greenish-white flowers, smaller plants, a hybrid by A. KIrchner-Abel

'Monte Blanche' - small flowers but floriferous, Patrice Dreckman hybrid

'Moraia' - whitish-cream, medium-sized corolla, richly and sweetly scented

suaveolens 'Variegata' - white flower, cream to white margined leaf. The marginal chimera blends well with the flower color. Very stunning in size.

suaveolens 'Weinstrasse' - white, distinct undulate corolla margins, bred by E. Neu of Germany

'Sweet Knight' - trumpet-shaped, 8 in. blooms, white to cream, good nighttime scent

'Tufino' (aurea x ?) - white, 8 in. bloom, from Ecuador, very lovely formed funnel-form flowers with long corolla lobes

versicolor 'Alba' - white version of the popular orange-flowering species.

versicolor 'Weisse Posaune' - creamy-white, corolla tube distinctly veined green

'Weisse Glockenfontane' (suaveolens x versicolor) - 14 in. long flowers, bred at Herrenhauser Gardens

'Weisse Krone' (aurea x suaveolens) - 12 in. creamy-white flowers, long corolla tips, hybird from Herrenhauser Gardens

YELLOW/GOLD aurea 'Goldenes Kornett' - golden-yellow, floriferous, a good improvement over species typical

aurea 'Yellow Queen' - 3-5 ft., double golden-yellow

'Brazilian Gold' - light yellow to golden-yellow, varying with seedling

x candida 'Ocre' - 8 in. light yellow, sometimes a tint or two or orange, very ornate with long corolla lobe tips. Originated with the Kamsa Indians in Columbia it is one of the most beautiful strains and is the parent of many hybrids sold today.

x candida 'Primose' - primrose yellow? (not confirmed)

'Citronella' (aurea x ?) - creamy-yellow, 7-8 in. long, hybird by H. Blin of Strassburg

'Clorantha' - cream, yellow veins, 10 in. long

x flava 'Gelber Engel' - 10 in. yellow flowers, very long bloom period, plants are wider than tall

'Gelber Riese' (aurea x suaveolens) - 10 in. light yellow flowers, hybrid by B-J. Herder

'Goldtraum' (suaveolens x ?) - golden-yellow, glossy margins, very floriferous but virus prone. Found by Gebauer of Germany.

'Jean Pasko' - golden-yellow, margins darker, collected in Ecuador

'Loreley' - golden-yellow, 7 in. long

'Miss V' - yellow, floriferous, a Patrice Dreckman hybrid

sanguinea subsp. sanguinea 'Flava' - yellow

sanguinea 'Oro Verde' - golden-yellow, leaf variegated yellow, leaf more tomentose than typical, collected by H. Groschel in Ecuador

sanguinea 'Yellow Queen' - yellow trumpets, dark green leaf

'Sternchen' (flava x arborea) - 7 in. light creamy-yellow flowers, very floriferous

suaveolens 'Jamaica Yellow' - 12 in. light lemon yellow, compact habit, very floriferous, sweet and spicy scent. Known from Jamaica.

'Sunray' - bright yellow, flaring corolla, rich scent

versicolor 'Tiara' - double creamy-yellow to light apricot, hybridby H. Blin

'Yellow Trumpet'

SALMON/ORANGE x candida 'Grand Marnier' - light apricot, blooms to 10 in. long. Knwon from Cedres Garden in France since 1900's. Hillier Nurseries UK made it popular in Europe and around the world. RHS AM.

x candida 'Maya' - light apricot orange, leaves thinnly and irregular margined white, also sectored white to grey. Much thinner margin than 'Snowbank'. French origin.

'Charles Grimaldi' - 13-15 in. yellow-orange blooms, 'Dr. Seuss' x insignis 'Frosty Pink' by Schwarz of California, rich fragrance, blooms all year in warm areas

'Dr. Seuss' - golden-orange, floriferous, vigorous plants, repeats well in warm areas, good scent

x insignis [orange form] - light orange to golden-orange, rich satiny finish. Needs a true cultivar name.

'Jean Pasco' - 13 in. orange fades to peach, darker golden margins, often giving a bicolor look, corolla lobe tips long to at 3-4cm, originated in Ecuador

'Klerx' - white and light orange

'Orange' (sanguinea x ?) invalid name - orange, yellow, and green, bred by Herrenhauser Gardens. It is far more orange with less pale colors than sanguinea as typical.

'Rosita' (sanguinea x ?) - reddish-pink with greenish stripes on the corolla tube, far more red pigment than sanguinea as typical, bred by Herrenhauser Gardens

'Roter Vulkan' (vulcanicola x ?) - 7 in. orange-red flowers. Reminds one of Campsis radicans.

sanguinea - usually light orange with yellow at the base of the color, yellow veins orange outside, 8 inch long flowers, 4-6 ft. depending on climate.

sanguinea 'Feurerwerk' - rich tricolor of orange, yellow and green, more highly colored than species typical.

sanguinea 'Inca Queen' - orange-red, gold veins and throat, narrowly trumpet form, lobed leaves are distinct, a vigorous and colorful selection from the wild

sanguinea 'Sangre' - nearly all red, mostly lacking green and yellow.

sanguinea 'White Flame' - creamy-white overall, base green, mouth reddish

'Snowbank' - PPAF, irregularly and broadly margined cream to 1 in. wide, apricot orange flower. A tetraploid of 'Sunray' by Terra Nova Nurseries. Source: Plant Delights

'Sunset' - peach flowers fade to ivory, variegated leaf. 'Variegata Sunset' is said to belong to the white-flowered B. x candida 'Variegata'

versicolor - apricot orange, ages white to richer orange depending on the strain, good scent

versicolor 'Apricot' - a name used for richer, always apricot orange flowers.

versicolor 'Herrenhauser Garten' - 14 in. dark orange, fully double hose-in-hose type, actually having up to 4 corollas, sparse flowering but unique and stunning, bred at Herrenhauser Gardens

versicolor f. plena - name used for any double form of the species.

vulcanicola - seedlings range from orange-yellow to rich red and salmon shades.

PINK/RED TINGED aurea 'Rotkirch' - pink flowers fade to red shades, sparse flowering but showy, collected in Columbia.

'Brazilian Treasure' - light rose-pink to light red

'Butterfly' (aurea x ?) - 8-10 in. dark pink flowers, lobes widely flared

x candida (aurea x versicolor) - produces many pink seedlings, named clones below are usually superior

x candida 'Blush' - blush pink

x candida 'Esmeraldas' - 11 in. reddish-pink, hybrid by A. Holguin of Ecuador

x candida 'Perfktion' - double pink, A. Kirchner-Abel of Germany hybrid c. 2000

x candida 'Rosea' - light pink, corolla tube pinkish-white, collected by A. Holguin in Quito, Ecuador

'Cypress Gardens' (versicolor x ?) - trumpet-shaped, drooping flowers, margins upturned for a very elegant look. Sets seed heavily so may be self-fertile. Color varies with climate and can be pinkish or "almond colored" as Preissel and Preissel describe it. Named for the famous US garden.

x flava 'Lilac' (invalid name) - 10 in. bluish-pink flowers for a lilac-like tone. Bred byu Herrenhauser Gardens.

x insignis 'Frosty Pink' ('Pink Trumpet') - light salmon-pink, ages to a darker less frosty shade, matte white inside, drooping and well-flared bloom, sweet fragrance, vigorous, dark green leaf, very rich scent. US origin.

x insignis 'Miner's Claim' (6/5) - 3.5m tall, upright-spreading, half the vigor of 'Frosty Pink', large salmon-pink flowers as sport parent 'Frosty Pink' but leaves creamy-white margined on light green. Found as sport at Monterey Bay Nursery, CA USA in 1999. US Patent #15747 to L. Miller, Santz Cruz, CA USA on 5/3/2005.

x insignis [pink form] - pink flowers. It is listed apart from 'Frosty Pink'

x insignis 'Pink Favorite' - satin-like glossy pink with darker margins, hybird from Herrenhauser Gardens

x insignis 'Shushufindi' - huge 12-16 in. long pink flowers. Collected by A. Holguin in Ecuador

x insignis 'U.S.L. Special' - dark salmon-pink, rich scent. Sold by Louisiana Nursery, Opelousas LA since the 1990's

L'Amour - light pink, 6-7 in. long

'Peaches and Cream' - pink well-scented bloom, notable for the white margined leaf

'Rosabelle' (aurea (wild form) x candida 'Ocre') - light pink, floriferous, fully colored and evenly colored unlike many pinks, hybrid by H. Blin

'Rosa Glockenfontane' (suaveolens x versicolor) - long 16 in. pink flowers, collected in Columbia

'Rosamund' (aurea x ?) - light pink, larger flower than many pinks, elondated corolla tips, hybrid by H. Blin

suaveolens 'Pink Delight' - huge 13 in. pink flowers, corolla may reach 10 in. wide also, bred by M. Gottschalt, Germany.

suaveolens 'Rosa Traum' - 12 in. pink flowers, hybrid from Austria.

versicolor 'Ecuador Pink' - wild collected 14 in. pink that varies with temperature from light pink to medium pink. The best color occurs in warm climates. It is smaller than most pink hybrids but is quite floriferous.

'Violet Queen' - double rose-violet, 3-5 ft., flowers 6-8 in. long. Probably just a double Datura?

vulcanica - pink striped darker pink, dark green leave. Dislikes hot weather