Nicotiana tabacum
Origin: Virginia
Improvement status: Landrace cultivar
Seeds per packet: ~100
Germination tested 11/2022: 92%
Life cycle: Annual
This strain of tobacco (originally from Strictly Medicinals) is likely a "brightleaf" type, long used in Virginia as a smoking tobacco. It has beautiful pink flowers and pale leaves, making it very ornamental. Like all tobacco plants, it is highly toxic and should not be consumed. Tobacco has a long history of use by humans, both as an addictive drug (mainly smoked or chewed for the stimulant effect of nicotine) and as an insecticide. It was considered sacred by many Native American peoples and used ceremonially.
GROWING TIPS: For best results, start seeds indoors a few weeks before last frost and plant starts that are a few inches tall in their permanent position, leaving one foot spacing at least for each plant.
