Weed at heart of spinach recall has a history in Tasmania

A recall of spinach products earlier this month has put prohibited plant, Datura stramonium, back in the spotlight prompting fresh warnings. How to identify + avoid it >>>

IT IS colloquially called devil’s trumpets, devil’s weed and hell’s bells and it is prohibited in Tasmania.

It is datura stramonium - the weed at the centre of the recent spinach crisis which saw the leafy green recalled after consumers suffered hallucinations and other ill effects.

While it is a prohibited plant it can sometimes be found growing on roadside verges and in older, abandoned gardens in Tasmania’s north.

In 2016, 14 plants were found by authorities across the state but eradication efforts appear to be working.

Natural Resource Management Tasmania said there had been no recent reports of the weed.

Datura is a declared weed in Tasmania and its importation, sale and distribution are prohibited under the Weed Management Act 1999.

Datura (angel trumpetflower)

In 2011, a 19-year-old man from the Channel area pleaded guilty to Supplying a Restricted Substance after a number of people in the Hobart CBD were offered a tea like drink made with Datura.

When consumed the drink can provide symptoms including severe hallucinations, bizarre and paranoid behaviour and periods of amnesia.

In just one fortnight in that year, nine Tasmanian teenagers were hospitalised after eating a highly-toxic plant.

The plant’s flowers, stems and leaves are well-documented for their mind-altering properties, but are also known to cause extreme behavioural disturbances including blindness, seizures, constipation and fluid retention.

Tasmania Police said it was not aware of any reports about the misuse of datura in recent years but if anyone had information about the cultivation or supply of datura should inform police.