Expat's comment in the Bogotá transfer post reminded me that although I think I have posted about the subject a long time ago the subject might be of interest to newer posters.
Burundanga is the slang term for escopolomina or scopolamine the famous knock out drug. It is derived from small trees in the Brugmansia genus. There are about fifteen of them from two species (white flower and mauve flower) growing on my finca. It is difficult to identify species because there are so many hybrids.. As Expat commented it grows at higher altitudes around Cali but not much higher. I've seen the yellow flowered version at 1250m, Cali being at 1000m. The trees higher up are typically Brugmansia candida with white trumpet shaped flowers, The curious thing about these small trees is that they always grow (without being planted) in proximity to human dwellings. You will never find them growing in natural forests far from homes. It is possible it has been present at Indian settlements in Colombia for ten thousand years and it has been used by Indian casiques to intensify the effect of yagé . Botoniists call it a "cultivar". An unusual aspect is that when flowering the scent only occurs between about 6pm and 6am. It is intense smelling like a perfumed soap. In the day time there is no scent at all. Obviously the pollinators come at night. The Saguaro cactus in Arizona/Mexico do the same, flowering and emitting their scent at night.. There are all sorts of stories about how burundanga can be applied to the victim but the reality is that it must be consumed like from a drink. Scopololine attack can produce medical consequences. At the end of the list of coverages on my COOMEVA health plan scopolamine attack was listed as the drug can damage the eyes. I enjoy and have propagated the trees on my finca but would never mess with their hallucinogenic properties. People in the US using the leaves as a recreational drug have died. For anyone looking it up the genus Brugmansia has been confused with Datura.
Burundanga is the slang term for escopolomina or scopolamine the famous knock out drug. It is derived from small trees in the Brugmansia genus. There are about fifteen of them from two species (white flower and mauve flower) growing on my finca. It is difficult to identify species because there are so many hybrids.. As Expat commented it grows at higher altitudes around Cali but not much higher. I've seen the yellow flowered version at 1250m, Cali being at 1000m. The trees higher up are typically Brugmansia candida with white trumpet shaped flowers, The curious thing about these small trees is that they always grow (without being planted) in proximity to human dwellings. You will never find them growing in natural forests far from homes. It is possible it has been present at Indian settlements in Colombia for ten thousand years and it has been used by Indian casiques to intensify the effect of yagé . Botoniists call it a "cultivar". An unusual aspect is that when flowering the scent only occurs between about 6pm and 6am. It is intense smelling like a perfumed soap. In the day time there is no scent at all. Obviously the pollinators come at night. The Saguaro cactus in Arizona/Mexico do the same, flowering and emitting their scent at night.. There are all sorts of stories about how burundanga can be applied to the victim but the reality is that it must be consumed like from a drink. Scopololine attack can produce medical consequences. At the end of the list of coverages on my COOMEVA health plan scopolamine attack was listed as the drug can damage the eyes. I enjoy and have propagated the trees on my finca but would never mess with their hallucinogenic properties. People in the US using the leaves as a recreational drug have died. For anyone looking it up the genus Brugmansia has been confused with Datura.
