SOME HYBRID NICOTIANAS 



By Ph. de Vilmorin, Paris, France 



Although the cuUure of tobacco is strictly limited in France on account 

 of the State monopoly, some species of Nicotiana and even the N. tabacum 

 are grown for ornamental purposes. 



Amongst the more popular are Nicotiana sylvestris, N. affinis, and a 

 deep red variety of N. tabacum, of the Maryland type, known under different 

 names, none of which is good. We tried at Verrieres some crosses between 

 these kinds with the object of improving their value as garden flowers, and 

 the following is a brief account of the results : 



First Case: Nicotiana sylz'estris and jcd N. tabacum. The cross was 

 made in 1899, and gave two types m 1900 : 



A. Apparently pure sylvestris (dropped). 



B. Very distinct hybrid, having the general appearance and the 

 foliage of Nicotiana tabacum, but branched stems, flowers pale red, 

 distinctly longer than those of N. tabacum, very handsome plant giv- 

 ing flowers in abundance during the whole summer. No seeds, except 

 on a few late flowers. These seeds produced in 1901 : 



(a) 19 out of 20 plants of pure sylvestris (although from 

 seeds of a red flowered hybrid), the seeds of which gave again 

 pure sylvestris in 1902. 



(b) Only one plant different from the type by its foliage 

 smaller and longer, dull green, its flowers G centimeters long (10 

 cm. in N. sylvestris) and horizontal (drooping in N. sylvestris) 

 That plant gave seeds and 



(bb) in 1901 was the origin of a very striking variation, 

 namely: All the plants differ more or less from one another 

 although they are all closely related to N. sylvestris. Some 

 are taller than N. sylvestris; 4 of them are dwarfer (60 centi- 

 meters to 1 m.) ; some having a bright green foliage, some a 

 dull green; and great differences in the shape and size of the 

 foliage. 

 These 3d generation hybrids have nothing left of the N. tabacum as far 

 as regards the color of flowers. The only proof of their hybrid origin is 

 in the variation in the size of the plants, size, form and color of leaves, and 

 more or less drooping disposition of the flowers. 



Second Case: The same cross (N. syk'cstris and N. tabacum) was made 

 again in 1901 with the same result in the first generation, but there were no 

 pure sylvestris amongst the seedlings, and the flowers were somewhat paler, 



