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Nicotiana tabacum

(Cultivated Tobacco)

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Arabic:

Dukhân

Common Names in Bengali:

Tamak

Common Names in Burmese:

Sac

Common Names in Danish:

Almindelig Tobak, Tobak, Virginsk Tobak

Common Names in Dutch:

Tabak

Common Names in English:

American Tobacco, Burley Tobac, Cultivated Tobacco, Tobacco, Virginian Tobacco

Common Names in Finnish:

Virginiantupakka

Common Names in French:

Grand Tabac, Tabac, Tabac Commun, Tabac De Virginie

Common Names in German:

Echter Tabak, Langblättriger, Tabak, Virginischer Tabak

Common Names in Gujarati:

Tabacu

Common Names in Hindi:

Bujjerbhang, Tambaakuu

Common Names in Italian:

Albero Del Tabacco, Erba Della Regina, Nicoziana, Tabacco, Tabacco Virginia

Common Names in Japanese:

Nikochiana Tabakamu, Tabako

Common Names in Malayalam:

Pokala

Common Names in Marathi:

Tamaku

Common Names in Norwegian:

Virginiatobakk

Common Names in Persian:

Beharebhang

Common Names in Polish:

Tyton Szlachetny

Common Names in Portuguese:

Tabaco

Common Names in Russian:

Tabak, Tabaka

Common Names in Sanskrit:

Dhumrapatrika

Common Names in Sinhalese:

Dhumkola

Common Names in Spanish:

Tabaco, Tabaco Negro

Common Names in Swedish:

Virginiatobak

Common Names in Tamil:

Pugaiyilay

Common Names in Telugu:

Dhumrapatramu

Description

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Family Solanaceae

Herbs, shrubs , small trees , or climbers . Stems sometimes prickly, rarely thorny; hairs simple , branched, or stellate , sometimes glandular . Leaves alternate, solitary or paired , simple or pinnately compound , without stipules; leaf blade entire, dentate , lobed , or divided . Inflorescences terminal , overtopped by continuing axes, appearing axillary , extra-axillary , or leaf opposed, often apparently umbellate , racemose, paniculate , clustered, or solitary flowers, rarely true cymes, sometimes bracteate . Flowers mostly bisexual , usually regular, 5-merous, rarely 4- or 6-9-merous. Calyx mostly lobed. Petals united . Stamens as many as corolla lobes and alternate with them, inserted within corolla, all alike or 1 or more reduced; anthers dehiscing longitudinally or by apical pores . Ovary 2-5-locular; placentation mostly axile ; ovules usually numerous . Style 1. Fruiting calyx often becoming enlarged, mostly persistent . Fruit a berry or capsule. Seeds with copious endosperm; embryo mostly curved .

About 95 genera with 2300 species: best represented in western tropical America, widespread in temperate and tropical regions ; 20 genera (ten introduced ) and 101 species in China.

Some species of Solanaceae are known in China only by plants cultivated in ornamental or specialty gardens: Atropa belladonna Linnaeus, Cyphomandra betacea (Cavanilles) Sendtner, Brugmansia suaveolens (Willdenow) Berchtold & Presl, Nicotiana alata Link & Otto, and Solanum jasminoides Paxton.[1]

Genus Nicotiana

Herbs, shrubs , or small trees ; pubescence of simple and glandular hairs . Leaves petiolate or sessile, entire or subentire . Inflorescences paniculate , racemose, or reduced to solitary flowers; peduncle mostly erect ; bracts mostly present. Flowers sometimes showy, mostly fragrant, zygomorphic, 4- or 5-merous, pedicellate . Calyx regular or irregular, tubular or tubular-campanulate, lobed . Corolla tubular, funnelform , or salverform ; tube lobed to subentire. Stamens inserted below middle of corolla tube; filaments slender; anthers dehiscing longitudinally. Disc ringlike, nectariferous . Ovary 2-locular. Stigma 2-lobed. Fruiting calyx persistent, slightly inflated , partially or completely enveloping fruit. Fruit a dry capsule dehiscing by apical valves . Seeds numerous , minute; embryo erect or slightly bent; cotyledons linear .

About 95 species: Africa, Americas, Australia, and Oceania; three species are cultivated in China as drug plants or as ornamentals , at least one is naturalized .[2]

Physical Description

Species Nicotiana tabacum

Herbs viscid , annual or short-lived perennial , 0.7-2 m tall, glandular hairy overall. Leaves decurrent, winging stems; leaf blade ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, 30(-70) × 8-15(-30) cm, membranous, glandular hairy, base narrowed, nearly half clasping , apex acuminate. Inflorescences many-flowered, much-branched panicles. Pedicel 0.5-2 cm. Calyx tubular or tubular-campanulate, 2-2.5 cm; lobes deltate, acuminate, unequal. Corolla yellowish at base, yellowish, greenish, red, or pink distally, funnelform , 3.5-5 cm; limb 1-1.5 cm in diam., with acute unequal lobes. Stamens unequal, sometimes partly exserted. Capsules ellipsoid or ovoid . Seeds brown, rounded , ca. 0.5 mm in diam. Fl. summer, fr. autumn. [source]

Habit: Forb/herb

Flowers: Bloom Period: June, July, August. • Flower Color: chartreuse, yellow-green, yellow

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 36-48" tall.

Habitat

 

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 4,653 meters (0 to 15,266 feet).[3]

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Annual , Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 18-24" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication : Sp. pl. 1:180. 1753

Name verified on 08-Dec-1999 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 14-Jun-2005

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Nicotiana

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 460 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

N. acaulis · N. acuminata (Many-Flower Tobacco) · N. acuminata var. multiflora (Phil.) Reiche (Manyflower Tobacco) · N. acuminata var. acuminata (Manyflower Tobacco) · N. acuminata var. cirrhoides · N. acuminata var. compacta · N. acuminata var. multiflora (Manyflower Tobacco) · N. acuminata var. parviflora · N. acuminata var. sileniflora · N. acuta · N. acutiflora · N. acutifolia · N. affinis · N. africana · N. alata (Ornamental Tobacco) · N. alata 'Crimson Bedder' · N. alata 'Crimson King' · N. alata Link & Otto 'Domino-serie F1 f. Farbenmischung' (Ornamental Tobacco) · N. alata 'Domino Mixed' · N. alata 'Domino Purple/white Eye' · N. alata 'Domino Red' (Domino Red Flowering Tobacco) · N. alata 'Domino Salmon Pink' (Flowering Tobacco) · N. alata 'Domino White' · N. alata f. rubella · N. alata Link & Otto 'Fragrant Delight' (Ornamental Tobacco) · N. alata grandiflora · N. alata 'Grandiflora' · N. alata 'Hummingbird Appleblossom' (Flowering Tobacco) · N. alata 'Hummingbird Deep Rose' (Flowering Tobacco) · N. alata 'Hummingbird Purple Bicolor' (Flowering Tobacco) · N. alata 'Hybrids' · N. alata 'Lime Green' · N. alata Link & Otto 'Lime Green' (Ornamental Tobacco) · N. alata 'Nicki Lime' · N. alata 'Perfume Deep Purple' · N. alata 'Perfume Mix' (Flowering Tobacco) · N. alata 'Saratoga Lime' · N. alata 'Saratoga Red' (Flowering Tobacco) · N. alata Link & Otto 'Sperlings Brasilia' (Ornamental Tobacco) · N. alata Link & Otto 'Starship-Serie f.Mischung' (Ornamental Tobacco) · N. alata × mutabilis · N. alata x mutabilis 'Bella' · N. alba · N. alipes · N. alpina · N. alpina var. deserticola · N. alpina var. patagonica · N. ameghinoi · N. amplexicaulis · N. andicola · N. angustifolia · N. angustifolia var. crispa · N. angustifolia var. parviflora · N. anisandra · N. anisoloba · N. arborea · N. arentsii · N. asiatica · N. attenuata (Coyote Tabacco) · N. auriculata · N. australasiae · N. 'Avalon Bright Pink' · N. 'Avalon Peach' · N. 'Avalon Pink' · N. 'Avalon Red' · N. 'Avalon Salmon' · N. Avalon Series · N. axillaris · N. axillaris var. nyctaginiflora · N. axillaris var. propinqua · N. azambujae · N. benavidesii · N. benthamiana · N. berteroana · N. bigelovi · N. bigelovii · N. bigelovii var. bigelovii · N. bonariensis · N. brachysolen · N. brasilia · N. brasiliensis · N. breviflora · N. breviloba · N. buccinans · N. burbidgeae · N. burbidgei · N. caesia · N. californica · N. capensis · N. cardiophylla · N. caudata · N. caudigera · N. cavanillesii · N. cavanillesii var. noctiflora · N. cavanillesii var. typica · N. cavicola · N. cerinthoides · N. ceryntoides · N. chilensis · N. chinensis

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 11, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Zhi-Yun Zhang, Anmin Lu & William G. D'Arcy "Solanaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 300. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Nicotiana". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 331. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. Mean = 1,017.360 meters (3,337.795 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,308.870 based on 332 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/1/2009