Appearance
"Brugmansia arborea" is an evergreen shrub or small tree reaching up to 7 metres in height. The ovate leaves have coarsely toothed margins when in their best condition. The leaves, flower stalks, fruit, and especially the young shoots are covered with fine velvety white down.Flowers are strongly fragrant, trumpet-shaped, nodding to sub-horizontal, white to ivory-white or cream. At 12–17 centimetres long, the flowers are the shortest of all "Brugmansia". Flowers are produced almost continuously in smaller quantities, unlike many other "Brugmansia" that flower in larger flushes. The ovoid fruit have an average length of 6 centimetres and width of 4.5 centimetres. The calyx is slit along one side and is very long in relation to the flower, and in this respect is often used as a quick check to verify correct identification. With a few exceptions, the green calyx usually reaches down almost all the way to the flower corolla's mouth.
Distribution
They are native to the Andes mountains of southern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, western Bolivia, and northern Chile.
Habitat
As the hardiest of all "Brugmansia" species in regards to both cold and drought, they are often found in the drier valleys of the Andes, in areas with an annual rainfall of 400–1,400 millimetres. Occurring at elevations of 2000 to 3000 m, they often receive light frosts."Brugmansia arborea" are usually pollinated by moths. They are attracted by the white color of the flowers and their fragrance that gets stronger in the evenings.The species is invasive in New Caledonia.
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