A datura plant with its distinctive white trumpet-shaped flower and spiny seed pod.
Iraq expands field operations to control spread of poisonous datura plant
BAGHDAD — The Ministry of Agriculture said Saturday it has expanded field operations to curb the spread of the poisonous datura plant, with technical teams continuing on-site monitoring and taking measures to limit its growth.
Hussam Majid Katouf, director of the Environment Department at the ministry’s Planning and Follow-up Directorate, told the official news agency that “the datura plant is a perennial species that thrives during certain seasons, especially when temperatures drop and weather conditions improve, which the country is currently witnessing. This has led to its noticeable appearance in several locations.”
He said the ministry receives reports about areas where the plant has spread from citizens, the Prime Minister’s Office, and security agencies. “These sites are immediately referred to the Plant Protection Directorate within the permanent Datura Control Committee to take urgent field action,” he said.
Katouf added that technical teams continue monitoring sites even after the plant is destroyed to ensure it does not grow again, noting that the ministry uses specialized technical and agricultural methods to control and limit its spread.
He said Iraq has recorded three types of datura, belonging to a genus that includes more than 15 species found in tropical, temperate, and warm regions around the world.
Katouf warned that “the datura plant is highly poisonous, as consuming between four to five grams of its leaves or seeds may cause severe poisoning, especially in children. Symptoms appear within minutes or hours of ingestion, whether by humans or animals.”
He said the toxic alkaloids in the plant affect the central and autonomic nervous systems, causing serious symptoms including excessive salivation, dilated pupils, nervous disturbance, rapid heartbeat, tremors, and delirium, which can progress to hysteria or convulsions followed by coma and, in some cases, death.
He added that “even small amounts of the plant can lead to miscarriage or birth defects, making it one of the most dangerous poisonous plants in both agricultural and residential environments.”