Just a wild, generic datura?

This started in my garden last year. I planted seeds for an alleged Four O'Clock and this came up in its place. I've since seen very similar ones on the roadside, but have never ventured to pull over for a closer look. The flowers, as you might be able to tell, are not all that impressive ... perhaps 2, probably more like 3, times the size of a healthy petunia. Last year, the purple was a much more prominent.

I've been pinching off the seed pods the past two weeks to see if it'll bloom more profusely. Is this a datura worth saving the seeds for or do I have a semi-indiginous "volunteer" in my garden?

(ps: I also started getting rid of the pods because I've pulled hundreds [literally] of datura sprouts from all over the yard as a result of the two I had last year)

I'm no expert by far, but I believe what you have is:

"Datura stramonium var tatula f. tatula (has violet coloring in the center of the flower corolla)"

And that it is also called Lilac LaFleur. Many people like this Datura and would want seeds, or seedlings.

Judy

Please view this thread

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/538741/

Well, I usually "talk" to you in the watergarden forum. These datura volunteer at the drop of a hat. I had one, now I have several hundred babies. I made the mistake after the first freeze pulling them up andthrowing them in my husbands garden area to be tilled up. BOY was that a mistake!! Now he has several hundred in his garden, our neighbors have them coming up, they are everywhere!! My daughter ssaid they are aliens taking over!!LOL!!

i like this one as it is more fragrent to me then others and its a good one for beginners because it doent take rocket science for them to grow. Haha


but they do get out of hand if you dont pinch the seed pods.

this is delicate looking and I love the points but this particular one is invasive and everyone has seeds, (but me) I would be afraid to start them lol

These are not any more invasive than Cosmos (which is truly not saying much of anything, now that I think of it). I've found that almost anything that bears seed that have any half-decent germination rate can be considered invasive ... if not kept up with. Katie and I spend a lot of our time every spring in the yard. As "volunteers" pop up, they're either transplanted or unceremoniously sacrificed to the Insatiable Mother. Either way, there's never any more of these on our property than we want.

Now ... for folks who pretty much limit their gardening to spring and fall ... well, yeah, these could definitely be a problem.

I try to plant my 4oclocks and all seed dropping monsters like them on the downward side of a hill leaving my property lol!! That way I never get overrun! ;)
BTW I happen to think its a real looker ;)
Not plain by any means.