Flowering Tobacco – Nicotiana alata

Common Name: Flowering Tobacco

Botanical Name: Nicotiana alata, ni-ko-shi-AH-na a-LAY-ta

Decorative Life: 5-10 days.

Flower Color: Green, Red, Violet, White, Yellow

Availability: Year Round

Growers should try anti-yellowing products that contain benzyladenine and/or gibberellins. In addition, growers who use growth retardants to keep plant growth in check may also be delaying leaf yellowing.

• Member of the Solanaceae (nightshade family).
• Native to North Central and South America.
• Common relatives include tobacco, eggplant, petunia, pepper, butterfly-flower, Nierembergia, painted-tongue, Browallia, tomato and potato.

• Species is classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined.
• Flowers tubular, flaring to five-pointed lobes, in ranked clusters at stem ends.
• Stems with oval, soft leaves.
• Flowers are mostly fragrant.

• Nicotiana: named for Jean Nicot, 1530-1600, French counsel to Portugal, who is said to have first presented tobacco to the courts of Portugal and France.
• The specific epithet name “alata” means winged, in reference to the shape of the stems.
• This family has many poisonous members including the common weed, deadly nightshade, and the green skin of potatoes. On the other hand, it is a source of many commercial foods including potato, tomato, pepper and eggplant. Tobacco also is a member.
• An example of a favorite cultivar and its respective flower colors is ‘Domino’ (red, picotee and more).

In response to a virus attack, Knoester et al. (2001) showed that the resulting ethylene production actually stimulates protective mechanisms against the virus in non-infected plant parts.