Nicotiana sylvestris
Origin: Andes Mountains, Argentina and Bolivia
Improvement status: Unknown
Seeds per packet: ~250
Germination tested 12/25: 65%
Life cycle: Annual or Short-lived Perennial (above 23° F)
Also known as woodland tobacco, white shooting stars, and South American tobacco, flowering tobacco is a beautiful half-hardy tobacco species from the Andes Mountains. It is a biennial or short-lived perennial in the Andes, but is commonly grown as an annual (started early indoors or under glass as with other tobacco plants). This species is believed to be an ancestor of domesticated smoking tobacco, which it very much resembles, except for its exceptionally long, tubular, jasmine-scented white flowers (which can be found in other colors as well). Like tobacco, the entire plant is toxic. It should also definitely not be smoked, as it contains toxic alkaloids like anabasine, which can cause immediate irritation and illness if consumed in any way (including by the lungs). Some plants are worth growing for their sheer beauty alone!
It is worth noting, however, that the nectar of flowering tobacco is relished by various nightime pollinators — including the obvious moths and the surprising bats!
These seeds come from our friend Andy Jo at Space Dog Farms in Minnesota.
GROWING TIPS: Start seeds indoors a few weeks before last frost. Plant out once soils have warmed and leaves have reached a few inches in length. Keep away from children and pets, because, again, this plant is toxic.
