Though I grew up in a rural area, I didn’t do much gardening or landscaping beyond whatever chores I may have had at the moment. Much of my outdoor exploration occurred as a Girl Scout, often adventuring through our local forest preserve where I learned to identify certain pesky plants like poison ivy or poison oak. But when I became a homeowner right before the start of the pandemic, I was eager to dig in and see what I could learn from, and do with, the environment around me. However, I quickly learned that not everything green is our friend, necessarily, and that some plants are better left out of the garden bed. In fact, this deadly plant in Illinois is easily disguised as a weed or flower but should definitely be avoided, especially if you have small children.

Datura stramonium, aka jimson weed, is a flowering member of the deadly nightshade family of plants.
deadly plant in Illinois
Leila Dasher, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
It grows in the summer and early fall to between 3 and 5 feet tall with green or purple stems and broad leaves. Perhaps as a warning to passersby, it also emits a rank stench as if to say, "Leave me alone."
© Traumrune / Wikimedia Commons
The plant has been found in most counties throughout Illinois and is highly toxic to humans. Its foliage and its seeds contain an "impressive assortment of toxic alkaloids" that can kill people and other herbivores, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It would only take a child to eat 20 seeds for a fatal reaction to occur.
Katrin Schneider, korina.info – CC-BY-SA-4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Seeds form in pods after the flower blooms. Though it produces beautiful, trumpet-like white and purple petals, its a false beauty that hides a deadly secret.
United States Department of Agriculture
The flowers are also known to bloom mainly at night, or perhaps during a cloudy afternoon.
United States Department of Agriculture
The plant must be pulled before it goes to seed or it will re-seed itself and grow again.
Kostka Martin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
As if you needed another reason to rid of this dangerous plant, it also attracts a number of beetles, which are sure to chew through the rest of your garden.

Have you noticed this deadly plant in Illinois before? Do you know of any other Illinois plants to avoid, or a gardening tip you swear by? Tell us in the comments! Learn about jimson weed at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website — and if you’re interested in discovering more about fatal flora in Illinois, stop by to learn about deadly plants at this museum collection!

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