Practical
Plants

Nicotiana rustica

Wild Tobacco

an annual member of the Nicotiana genus in the family Solanaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
1.5 m
Fertility
Lepidoptera
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
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[4].

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

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

All parts of the plant contain nicotine which is a strong narcotic[3]. The leaves are antispasmodic, cathartic, emetic, narcotic and sedative[5][6]. They are used externally as a poultice and a wash in the treatment of rheumatic swelling, skin diseases and scorpion stings[5].

Product or use
Antispasmodic
Product or use
Emetic
Product or use
Narcotic
Product or use
Sedative

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. The dried leaves can also be used, they remain effective for 6 months after drying[2]. The leaves have also been dried and then chewed as a stimulant or made into snuff for sniffing, or smoked. This species is more potent than N. tabacum (the species normally cultivated for cigarettes).

Product or use
Insecticide

Environment

Range
S. America - Ecuador to Bolivia.
Habitat
The original habitat is obscure. Plants are naturalized in Eastern N. America where they grow in waste places, open areas etc[3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
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][4]. This plant was formerly cultivated for its use as an insecticide but it has now been largely replaced by N. tabacum[7][8][4]. Plants require more than 14 hours daylight per day in order to induce flowering[2].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.

    ↩1↩2

  3. Emboden. W. Narcotic Plants Studio Vista 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-289-70864-8

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  6. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  7. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  8. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

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