Sacred Datura is poisonous perennial

Q: After visiting the (Desert Botanical Garden) today, May 26, I have a flower that I would really like to know the name of. It was in the "Agave Yucca Forest" and was situated close by the metal walkway. It was about a third of the way along on the right side of the straight section leading to the inner central section. It was almost under the metal walkway ... maybe two feet away from being below the walkway. It was not a large plant and I could not see any other plants like it with a name board.

Thank you for such an enjoyable and interesting garden to visit. It was certainly an informative place to view a desert scene.

Thanking you in anticipation,

— Alan Deegan

A: The flower in the photo is of the genus Datura. Datura is commonly called Sacred Datura or Moonflower or Angel's Trumpets and is from the family Solanaceae. Datura is a herbaceous perennial, and all parts of this plant are poisonous and should be kept from children and pets.

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Question: Please advise what type of cycad is shown in the May 16th issue ofThe Arizona Republic. We would like to plant one but don't know which one to ask for. Also, is there a nursery you can recommend? Thanks for your help.

—Ed Buck

Answer: The cycad in the photo is a Ceratozamia Mexicana. Locally, I think you might ask a nursery like Whitfill or Tree Land if they can order one for you. I have purchased many of my plants online.

Q: We have two pomegranate trees in our front yard. They are about 7 feet tall, full of leaves and bear fruit, which we love. So do the birds. Some told us that since it doesn't get cold enough at night that the seeds won't turn red. I'm from Southern California and the seeds inside were always red. These seeds are white or cream colored. Is the fruit good?

—Shirley Gillespie

A: I'm thinking there are a couple possibilities with your pomegranate's white seeds. Some varieties of pomegranates have white to pink seeds, and they tend to be sweeter and less tart than the red-seeded ones.

Your pomegranate may be the type that takes longer for fruit to ripen, and this usually occurs in late fall or early winter. I would try some of the fruit and if they seem juicy but are just white, then you probably have a white-seeded pomegranate. If they are not even close to being juicy, I would assume they need more time to ripen.

Continue watering regularly and fertilize in November with a balanced fruit-tree fertilizer and again in March, and always follow instructions on label.

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Brian Kissinger is director of horticulture at the Desert Botanical Garden. E-mail garden questions to bkissinger@dbg.org.