Common Name: Tree Tobacco

General Information

Tree tobacco is an evergreen, soft-wooded shrub or small tree, growing up to 6 metres tall, with stems that are laxly branched[].
The plant has been used medicinally, as an insecticide and smoked as a stimulant. It is cultivated in the Mediterranean region and Iraq[].

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 - northern Argentina to southern Bolivia.

Habitat

Rocks, walls and roadsides in the Mediterranean[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Lepidoptera
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the subtropics to tropics. It is usually found at lower elevations in the subtropics, and can be found from low elevations to over 3,000 metres in tropical areas. This species is hardy to about -5°c[].
Prefers a well-drained deep rich moist soil in a sunny position[, ].
The plant is a weed of agriculture that has spread to many areas of the world and often become naturalized[].
Plants require more than 14 hours daylight per day in order to induce flowering[]. This report might not be accurate, since the plant has been found naturalized very close to the Equator in Ecuador, where day length never reaches 14 hours[].

Edible Uses

The leaves have been made into a drink[]. Some care should be exercised here. The tea will contain nicotine and this can be toxic to the body.

The leaves have been smoked for their stimulatory effect[]. Although used extensively for recreational purposes, tobacco frequently causes pathological conditions and death[].

Medicinal

A poultice of the leaves can be applied to cuts, bruises, swellings and other wounds[]. The plant has been used as a poultice for removing the pus from scrofulous sores or boils[]. A poultice of the leaves has been applied to inflamed throat glands[]. Warmed leaves are applied to the head to relieve headache, on the throat to relieve pain and put in shoes for painful feet[].
An infusion of the leaves has been used as a steam bath in the treatment of rheumatism[].

Other Uses

All parts of the plant contain nicotine, this has been extracted and used as an insecticide[, ].
The plant is grown for the industrial production of anabasine, which is the starting material for producing an insecticide[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sown 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 when large enough.

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