thorn apple

American  

[thawrn] / θɔrn /

noun

1. any poisonous plant belonging to the genus Datura, of the nightshade family, the species of which bear capsules covered with prickly spines, especially the jimson weed, D. stramonium.

2. the fruit of certain hawthorns of the genus Crataegus.

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thorn apple British  

noun

1. US and Canadian name: jimson weed.  a poisonous solanaceous plant, Datura stramonium, of the N hemisphere, having white funnel-shaped flowers and spiny capsule fruits See also stramonium

2. any other plant of the genus Datura

3. the fruit of certain types of hawthorn

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Etymology

Origin of thorn apple

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

The plant that caused a baby spinach recall in Australia was thorn apple, a nightshade, The Guardian reports.

From New York Times • Dec. 21, 2022

These contain thorn apple, a common term for the botanist's Datura stramonium, also known as Jimson weed.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Harvester drew a deep breath and continued: "These I just have named I take at bloom time; next month come purple thorn apple, jimson weed, and hemlock."

From The Harvester by Stratton-Porter, Gene

"It is a crystalline, bitter and poisonous alkaloid, taken from the deadly nightshade, and the same principle is also found in the thorn apple."

From The Wonder Island Boys: Adventures on Strange Islands by Finlay, Roger Thompson

They may not endure the moister air near the Mississippi, but there we have already many useful natives, like the black haw and thorn apple, that are as yet almost unnoticed.

From Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916 Embracing the Transactions of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society,Volume 44, from December 1, 1915, to December 1, 1916, Including the Twelve Numbers of "The Minnesota Horticulturist" for 1916 by Latham, A. W.