''Nicotiana'' () is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
herbaceous plants
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of ...
and
shrubs in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Solanaceae, that is
indigenous to the Americas, Australia, Southwestern Africa and the South Pacific. Various ''Nicotiana''
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
, commonly referred to as tobacco plants, are cultivated as ornamental garden plants. ''
N. tabacum'' is grown worldwide for the cultivation of
tobacco leaves used for manufacturing and producing
tobacco products, including
cigars,
cigarillos,
cigarettes,
chewing tobacco,
dipping tobacco
Dipping tobacco is a type of finely ground or shredded, moistened smokeless tobacco product. It is commonly and idiomatically known as "dip". Dipping tobacco is used by placing a pinch, or "dip", of tobacco between the lip and the gum ( sublab ...
,
snuff, and
snus
Snus ( , ) is a tobacco product, originating from a variant of dry snuff in early 18th-century Sweden. It is placed between the upper lip and gum for extended periods, as a form of sublabial administration. Snus is not fermented. Although use ...
.
Taxonomy
Species
The 79 accepted species include:
* ''
Nicotiana acuminata''
(Graham) Hook. – manyflower tobacco
[Knapp et al. (2004) Nomenclatural changes and a new sectional classification in Nicotiana (Solanaceae) Taxon. 53(1):73-82.]
* ''
Nicotiana africana''
Merxm.
* ''
Nicotiana alata''
Link & Otto – jasmine tobacco, sweet tobacco, winged tobacco, Persian tobacco, ''tanbaku'' (in
Persian)
* ''
Nicotiana attenuata''
Torrey ex S. Watson – coyote tobacco
* ''
Nicotiana benthamiana''
Domin
Karel Domin (4 May 1882, Kutná Hora, Kingdom of Bohemia – 10 June 1953, Prague) was a Czech botanist and politician.
After gymnasium school studies in Příbram, he studied botany at the Charles University in Prague, and graduated in 19 ...
– benth, benthi
* ''
Nicotiana clevelandii''
A. Gray – Cleveland's tobacco
* ''
Nicotiana glauca''
Graham – tree tobacco, Brazilian tree tobacco, shrub tobacco, wild tobacco, tobacco plant, tobacco bush, tobacco tree, mustard tree
* ''
Nicotiana glutinosa''
L.
* ''
Nicotiana langsdorffii
''Nicotiana langsdorffii'', Langsdorff's tobacco, is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to Brazil.
Growing to tall by broad, it is an annual plant with large sticky leaves up to
long. It bears long, nodd ...
''
Weinm. – Langsdorff's tobacco
* ''
Nicotiana longiflora''
Cav. – longflower tobacco or long-flowered tobacco
* ''
Nicotiana occidentalis''
H.-M. Wheeler – native tobacco
* ''
Nicotiana obtusifolia
''Nicotiana obtusifolia'', or desert tobacco, is a plant native to the southwestern United States (from California to Utah to Texas) and Mexico.
It is a woody perennial herb growing up to about in maximum height. The leaves have blades up to l ...
''
M. Martens & Galeotti – desert tobacco, ''punche'', ''"tabaquillo"''
* ''
Nicotiana otophora''
Griseb.
* ''
Nicotiana plumbaginifolia''
Viv. – Tex-Mex tobacco
* ''
Nicotiana quadrivalvis''
Pursh – Indian tobacco
* ''
Nicotiana rustica''
L. – Aztec tobacco, strong tobacco, ''mapacho''
* ''
Nicotiana suaveolens''
Lehm. – Australian tobacco
* ''
Nicotiana sylvestris''
Speg. & Comes – woodland tobacco, flowering tobacco, South American tobacco
* ''
Nicotiana tabacum
''Nicotiana tabacum'', or cultivated tobacco, is an annually grown herbaceous plant of the ''Nicotiana'' genus. The plant is tropical in origin, is commonly grown throughout the world, and is often found in cultivation. It grows to heights be ...
''
L. – common tobacco, domesticated tobacco, cultivated tobacco, commercial tobacco (grown for the production of
cigars,
cigarillos,
cigarettes,
chewing tobacco,
dipping tobacco
Dipping tobacco is a type of finely ground or shredded, moistened smokeless tobacco product. It is commonly and idiomatically known as "dip". Dipping tobacco is used by placing a pinch, or "dip", of tobacco between the lip and the gum ( sublab ...
, etc.)
* ''
Nicotiana tomentosiformis''
Goodsp.
Manmade hybrids
*
''Nicotiana'' × ''didepta'' – ''N. debneyi'' × ''N. tabacum''
*
''Nicotiana'' × ''digluta'' – ''
N. glutinosa'' × ''N. tabacum''
*
''Nicotiana'' × ''sanderae'' Hort. ex Wats. – ''N. alata'' × ''N. forgetiana''
Formerly placed here
* ''
Petunia axillaris''
(Lam.) Britton et al. (as ''N. axillaris''
Lam.) – large white petunia, wild white petunia, white moon petunia
Etymology
The genus ''Nicotiana'' (from which the word ''
nicotine
Nicotine is a naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants (most predominantly in tobacco and '' Duboisia hopwoodii'') and is widely used recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As a pharmaceutical drug, it is use ...
'' is derived) was named in honor of
Jean Nicot
Jean Nicot de Villemain (; 1530 – May 4, 1604) was a French diplomat and scholar. He is famous for being the first to bring tobacco to France, including snuff tobacco. Nicotine is named after the tobacco plant ''Nicotiana tabacum,'' which in tur ...
, French ambassador to Portugal, who in 1559 sent samples as a medicine to the court of
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...
.
Ecology
Despite containing enough
nicotine
Nicotine is a naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants (most predominantly in tobacco and '' Duboisia hopwoodii'') and is widely used recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As a pharmaceutical drug, it is use ...
and/or other compounds such as
germacrene and
anabasine and other
piperidine alkaloids (varying between species) to
deter most
herbivores, a number of such animals have
evolved
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variati ...
the ability to feed on ''Nicotiana'' species without being harmed. Nonetheless, tobacco is unpalatable to many species and therefore some tobacco plants (chiefly tree tobacco (''
N. glauca'')) have become established as
invasive species in some places.
In the 19th century, young tobacco plantings came under increasing attack from
flea beetles (the potato flea bettle (''
Epitrix cucumeris'') and/or ''
Epitrix pubescens''), causing the destruction of half the United States tobacco crop in 1876. In the years afterward, many experiments were attempted and discussed to control the potato flea beetle. By 1880, it was discovered that covering young plants with a frame covered with thin fabric (instead of with branches, as had previously been used for frost control) would effectively protect the plants from the beetle. This practice spread until it became ubiquitous in the 1890s.
Tobacco, alongside its
related products, can be infested by
parasites such as the tobacco beetle (''
Lasioderma serricorne
''Lasioderma serricorne'', commonly known as the cigarette beetle, cigar beetle, or tobacco beetle, is an insect very similar in appearance to the drugstore beetle (''Stegobium paniceum'') and the common furniture beetle (''Anobium punctatum''). ...
'') and the tobacco moth (''
Ephestia elutella
''Ephestia elutella'', the cacao moth, tobacco moth or warehouse moth, is a small moth of the family Pyralidae. It is probably native to Europe, but has been transported widely, even to Australia. A subspecies is ''E. e. pterogrisella''.
The ...
''), which are the most widespread and damaging
pests in the
tobacco industry.
Infestation can range from the tobacco cultivated in the fields to the
leaves used for manufacturing
cigars,
cigarillos,
cigarettes,
chewing tobacco,
dipping tobacco
Dipping tobacco is a type of finely ground or shredded, moistened smokeless tobacco product. It is commonly and idiomatically known as "dip". Dipping tobacco is used by placing a pinch, or "dip", of tobacco between the lip and the gum ( sublab ...
, etc.
Both the
grubs of ''Lasioderma serricorne'' and the
caterpillars of ''Ephestia elutella'' are considered major pests.
Other
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
s whose
caterpillars feed on ''Nicotiana'' include:
* Black cutworm, greasy cutworm, or floodplain cutworm (as a caterpillar),
dark sword-grass or ipsilon dart (as a moth) (''
Agrotis ipsilon'')
* Turnip moth (''
Agrotis segetum'')
*
Mouse moth (''Amphipyra tragopoginis'')
* Clover cutworm (as a caterpillar),
nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...
(as a moth) (''Hadula trifolii'' or ''Anarta trifolii'')
* ''
Endoclita excrescens
''Endoclita excrescens'' is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It is known from Japan and the Russian Far East. Food plants for this species include ''Castanea'', ''Nicotiana'', ''Paulownia'', ''Quercus'', and ''Raphanus''. The species is ...
''
* Hawaiian tobacco hornworm or Hawaiian tomato hornworm (as a caterpillar), Blackburn's sphinx moth (as a moth) (''
Manduca blackburni'')
* Tobacco hornworm or Goliath worm (as a caterpillar), tobacco hawkmoth or Carolina sphinx moth (as a moth) (''
Manduca sexta'')
* Tomato hornworm (as a caterpillar), five-spotted hawkmoth (as a moth) (''
Manduca quinquemaculata
''Manduca quinquemaculata'', the five-spotted hawkmoth, is a brown and gray hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. The caterpillar, often referred to as the tomato hornworm, can be a major pest in gardens; they get their name from a dark projection ...
'')
*
Cabbage moth
The cabbage moth (''Mamestra brassicae'') is primarily known as a pest that is responsible for severe crop damage of a wide variety of plant species. The common name, cabbage moth, is a misnomer as the species feeds on many fruits, vegetables, ...
(''Mamestra brassicae'')
*
Angle shades (''Phlogophora meticulosa'')
*
Setaceous Hebrew character (''Xestia c-nigrum'')
*
Cabbage looper (''Trichoplusia ni'')
*
Fall armyworm (''Spodoptera frugiperda'')
* Tobacco spitworm (as a caterpillar), potato tuber moth (as a moth) (''
Phthorimaea operculella'')
* South American tomato pinworm, tomato pinworm or tomato leafminer (as a caterpillar), South American tomato moth (as a moth) (''
Tuta absoluta'')
[
* Eggplant leafroller moth or nightshade leaftier ('' Lineodes integra'')][
* Eggplant webworm moth ('']Rhectocraspeda periusalis
''Rhectocraspeda periusalis'', the eggplant webworm moth, is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is found in the West Indies and from the United States, where it has been recorded from Florida, North Ca ...
'')[
These are mainly Noctuidae, but they also comprise Sphingidae, Gelechiidae, and Crambidae.
]
Cultivation
Several species of ''Nicotiana'', such as ''N. sylvestris'', ''N. alata'' 'Lime Green'[ and ''N. langsdorffii'' are grown as ]ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
s, often under the name of flowering tobacco. They are popular vespertines (evening bloomers); their sweet-smelling flowers opening in the evening to be visited by hawkmoth
The Sphingidae are a family of moths ( Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, ...
s and other pollinators. In temperate climates, they behave as annuals ( hardiness 9a-11).
The hybrid cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
'Lime Green' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
Garden varieties are derived from ''N. alata'' (e.g., the 'Niki' and 'Saratoga' series) and more recently from ''Nicotiana'' × ''sanderae'' (e.g., the 'Perfume' and 'Domino' series).[
The tobacco budworm ('' Chloridea virescens'') has proved to be a massive “pest” of many species in the genus, and has resisted many attempts at management.]
References
Bibliography
* (1999)
''Nicotiana''
Retrieved 2007-11-20.
*
*
External links
The Plant List
{{Authority control
Entheogens
Solanaceae genera
Tobacco
az:Tütün
de:Tabak
nv:Nátʼoh (chʼil)