I got seeds of those years ago, from a friend. I collected seeds from them without a problem, the seedheads are prickely and they contained the seeds. They are quite poisonouse (hallucinogenic?) and it seems that more than one hippy got stuck on their experiments with brews from that plant, which I learned after I started growing them.

and it used to be grown in fields for drug comanies, I even have an old book on herbs for drug production which mentions a cultivar with smooth seed heads for easier seed collection

@floral I am guessing since you mentioned "short lived perennial" thats theres a chance it will come back? we have had mild winters here the last 2-3 winters(more like a zone 8b instead of 7b)

So its like coleus, the only way it comes back is from reseeding itself?

I’ve never known them to come back but some sources say that, so I was covering myself by not making a blanket statement. It is not like Coleus. Coleus is a true, reliable perennial in the right climate. It’s treated as an annual by gardeners outside tropical environments but botanically it is not one. Datura stramonium is an annual and is unlikely to return, with few exceptions when it might cling on for another season. Seed is the way to go.

My sister has these in her garden and they come back every year. We are in Zone 5b, Illinois.

Are you sure it’s the exact same plants surviving the winter and returning or are they self sowing and appear to be returning?

FWIW I have grown 'Datura wrightii' from Annie's Annuals and a couple of them HAVE made long lasting perennials in my climate of NE MD zn 7. They self seed too but the parents definitely form deep roots in dry soil and survive winter. They have done best in the dry soil under the extra wide eaves of my 1 story house where I grow agaves, yuccas, nolinas, etc.

As Floral said, Datura stramonium is considered an annual.