Practical
Plants

Nicotiana alata

Tobacco

a perennial member of the Nicotiana genus in the family Solanaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.6 m
Spread
0.3 m
Fertility
Bees, Lepidoptera
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Lepidoptera

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

All parts of the plant are poisonous[1][6][7].

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

All parts of the plant contain nicotine, this has been extracted and used as an insecticide.

Product or use
Insecticide

Environment

Range
S. America - S. Brazil to N. Argentina. Locally naturalized in C. Europe.
Habitat
Not known
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - surface sow in a warm greenhouse about 10 weeks before the last expected spring frosts. The seed usually germinates in 10 - 20 days at 20°c. Keep the soil moist and pot up as soon as the plants are big enough to handle, planting them out after the last expected frosts.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a well-drained deep rich moist soil in a sunny position[1][2]. Hardy to about -5°c[4], this plant is usually grown as an annual in Britain, flowering well in its first year, but it does survive mild winters outdoors[1]. A very ornamental plant[1], it has sweetly scented flowers that release most of their scent in the evening and attract moths[5]. Plant requires more than 14 hours daylight per day to induce flowering[3].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  2. International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981-00-00

    ↩

  3. Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.

    ↩

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  5. Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-330-26642-x

    ↩

  6. Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394

    ↩

  7. Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. HMSO 1984-00-00 ISBN 0112425291

    ↩

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