Common Name: red angel's trumpet; mountain angel's trumpet; scarlet angel's trumpet
Scientific Name: Brugmansia sanguinea
Plant Facts
Red angel’s trumpets (Brugmansia sanguinea) are robust, semi-evergreen, tropical shrubs that are endemic to the Andes mountains from Colombia to northern Chile. They are only found at elevations from 6600-9800 ft (2000-3000 m) and are thus incredibly susceptible to warmer temperatures with flower development halting above 71°F (21°C). Unlike other Brugmansia species that display pastel flowers, red angel’s trumpets exhibit distinct red, yellow, and green pendulous, trumpet-shaped flowers. Although their bright colors attract an abundance of pollinators from hummingbirds to moths, these flowers are not fragrant and are toxic to humans, activating psychoactive effects.
Interaction with Humans
Red angel’s trumpets are extinct in the wild, but have been cultivated and used by South American shamans as an entheogen (a psychoactive substance used for religious or spiritual purposes) for centuries and potentially even for millennia. Due to their susceptibility to warmer temperatures, red angel’s trumpets are at high risk of going fully extinct due to climate change.
Sources
• Brugmansia sanguinea (Red Angel's Trumpet). Retrieved from https://www.gardenia.net/plant/brugmansia-sanguinea
• Hay, A. (2014) Brugmansia sanguinea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2o14. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T51247690A58396933.en
• Hoffmann, A., Schultes R.E., & Ratsch, C. (2001). Plants of the Gods. Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press, 33p.
• Preissel, U. & Preissel, H.G. (2002). Brugmansia and Datura: Angel's Trumpets and Thorn Apples. Buffalo, New York: Firefly Books. 106–129.
