Flower profile
Desert thorn-apple
Datura discolor
Desert thorn-apple (Datura discolor) is a flowering plant in the Solanaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly January–December across the U.S.
Desert thorn-apple is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Arizona it's most often seen in bloom in August–November.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Arizona
Quick look
Datura discolor, also called the desert thorn-apple, is an herbaceous annual plant native to the Sonoran Desert of western North America, where it grows in sandy soils and washes. All parts of the plant contain a mix of alkaloids that are potentially lethal when enough is ingested.
- It belongs to the Solanaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 2 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona. NatureServe
- In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in August–November. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,660 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #53 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Arizona, most flowering sightings come in August–November.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Arizona
- Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. AAC R3-3 App. A
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records desert thorn-apple in 2 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California.
Arizona counties with USDA records: Cochise, Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai, Yuma.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 11 counties across 2 states; the most are in Arizona (8), California (3).
Other Datura on Bloomipedia (2): Sacred datura, Jimsonweed.
More from the Solanaceae family (15 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Carolina horsenettle, Bittersweet nightshade, Silverleaf nightshade, Tree tobacco, Buffalo-bur, Eastern black nightshade, Western horsenettle, Desert tobacco.
More Arizona flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile DADI2.
- iNaturalist, Datura discolor: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Datura discolor (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
- Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Datura discolor (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Joseph Rojas via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.