Common Name: Sweet Tobacco

General Information

Nicotiana alata is an erect, herbaceous perennial plant growing from a thick rootstock; it can grow up to 150cm tall[]..
Widely grown as an ornamental plant for its sweet-smelling flowers, the plant has also occasionally been cultivated, especially in Iran and Brazil, for the production of smoking tobacco[].

Known Hazards

The plant contains the toxic alkaloid nicotine. Widely used in all parts of the world as a stimulant, usually by smoking the plant or chewing it, in larger doses nicotine causes vomiting, diarrhoea, slow pulse, dizziness, collapse, and respiratory failure[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Southern Brazil, Paraguay, northeast Argentina, Uruguay.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, Lepidoptera
Cultivation Status	Ornamental

Cultivation Details

A plant mainly of the subtropics, it can also be grown in tropical areas, though it requires more than 14 hours daylight per day to induce flowering[]. The plant can also succeed as a perennial in milder areas of the temperate zone, where temperatures do not generally fall below -5°c, the plant generally resprouting from dormant buds on the thick rootstock[].
Prefers a well-drained deep rich moist soil in a sunny position or light shade[, , ].
A very ornamental plant[], it has sweetly scented flowers that release most of their scent in the evening and attract moths[].
The plant is susceptible to viruses that are common to other cultivated members of the Solanaceae. It should not, therefore, be grown close to plants such as potatoes, tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, huckleberries etc[].

Edible Uses

The plant contains nicotine and is sometimes used for smoking and as a masticatory[]. Although used extensively for recreational purposes, tobacco frequently causes pathological conditions and death[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

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

Propagation

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.