Common Name: Wild Tobacco

General Information

Wild tobacco is an erect, branched, annual plant with a shallow but extensive root system, It usually grows up to 1.8 metres tall, but is shorter when grown away from the tropics[].
The plant is a rich source of the alkaloid nicotine and has a long history of use as a medicinal plant and social stimulant. It was cultivated in the Americas well before the arrival of the Europeans and is now sometimes grown in many other parts of the world including Europe, India and China[]. It is grown predominantly for the production of nicotine: Its use for smoking has declined in most areas, with only 3% of tobacco grown being this species, though it is still popular in places such as Pakistan and N. India, where it is often combined with Nicotiana tabacum[, ].

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 - Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.

Habitat

The original habitat is obscure. Plants are naturalized in Eastern N. America where they grow in waste places, open areas etc[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Lepidoptera
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

A plant of tropical areas, where it can be found at elevations from sea level to about 1,800 metres[]. It is also grown in subtropical and warm temperate areas. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperate falls within the range 15 - 30°c, though it can tolerate 10 - 40°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 600 - 700mm, tolerating 500 - 800mm[].
Prefers a well-drained deep rich moist soil in a sunny position[, ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6, but tolerates 5 - 7.5[].
Most plants are stalk-cut at 100 - 130 days after planting. Only the hookah cultivars in India have their individual leaves harvested[].
It should be possible to obtain 1.5 - 2 tonnes per hectare of cured leaves[].
In Pakistan harvested plants of 'white pattar' or 'saffaid' are sun cured for about two weeks and turned once or twice to obtain a relatively light-coloured leaf. Harvested 'naswari' plants are left in the field for about six days to dry partially, before being gathered into heaps, which will be turned several times in the ensuing 1—2 months in a combined curing and fermentation process. The aim here is a dark, strong-smelling, rather thin tobacco. In Algeria harvested plants are wilted for a short period in the field and then air cured under roofed but open structures, often under lean-to roofs against houses or other buildings[].

Edible Uses

The leaves have been dried and then chewed as a stimulant or made into snuff for sniffing, or smoked. This species contains more nicotine (between 4 - 9.5%) than Nicotiana tabacum (the species normally cultivated for cigarettes), and so has a harsher flavour[]. Although used extensively for recreational purposes, tobacco frequently causes pathological conditions and death[].

Medicinal

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

Other Uses

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[].

Propagation

Seed - there is no dormancy, except that freshly harvested seed should be allowed a post-ripening period of 3 weeks. Surface sown, preferably in light shade, the seed usually germinates within 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.
Seed remains viable for over 10 years when stored dry and cool[].

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