Up to a foot long, the trumpet-shaped...

Up to a foot long, the trumpet-shaped flowers of Brugmansia are the plant’s main attraction: Nodding or pendulous, hanging like ornaments from tree-like or bushy shrubs, they are almost intoxicatingly fragrant at nightfall. The large, oblong leaves seem to pale in comparison and will get more sparse the colder the weather ( Brugmansia is damaged by frost but will survive at 25 degrees).

But Brugmansia can bloom all year: About two weeks ago, at the State and Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, Brugmansia cultivar “Charles Grimaldi” was blooming with golden flowers. (You can also see B. versicolor , with pale pink flowers, and the B. suaveolens , white, at the arboretum.) Specimens can also be seen in a wild, overgrown setting at the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino, and at the Hortense Miller garden in Laguna Beach.

Now for the downside: All parts of Brugmansia --the roots, leaves, flowers--are highly poisonous. Taxonomists first placed these plants in the same genus as Datura , of which the extremely toxic jimson weed is a member, but then renamed the larger, tree-like Datura to Brugmansia because of their size. (In certain books and in the nurseries, Brugmansia may still be named Datura .)

The Brugmansia species candida , arborea , suaveolens and aurea are frequently crossed, so that many colors and shapes of flowers are available. Flowers can be simply bell-shaped, more tubular and even double in form. Colors include salmon, red, apricot, yellow, white and pale pink. Some open up white and then start to take on their color. Most last about three days.

Brugmansia grows 10 to 20 feet tall. Shrub-like in habit, it can be trained as a small tree as well. Usually given a dominant position in the landscape, it should be allowed plenty of room because of its large root system.

Fast-growing as it is, it can be encouraged with extra water and fertilizer. Full sun or shade is fine as long as the plant is protected from wind. In sunnier locations, it needs more water. In very hot weather, the plant will wilt; to revive, give it water. But overall, Brugmansia likes a cool and moist environment, much like its native land, the mountains of South America.

Pests include spider mites and cutworms. Richard Moriarty of Green Systems International, a Southern California grower of Brugmansia , recommends monthly sprayings of Orthene, if you notice any problems.

Brugmansia plants will be on sale Jan. 21-22 at Green Systems International, 20362 S.W. Birch St., Santa Ana, and will be priced according to size and variety. Green Systems also offers a Brugmansia information line to answer questions about care and planting; telephone (714) 754-5937.