NICOTIAN A GLAUCA TREE TOBACCO, WILD TOBACCO. 43 



188. NICOTIANA GLAUCA, GRAH. 

 TKEE TOBACCO, WILD TOBACCO. 



Ger., Baumischer Tdbak ; Fr., Taboo d'arbre; Sp., Tabaco de 



Arbol. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS : Leaves persistent from broad-ovate to lance-oblong, 

 8-6 in. long, with long petioles more than half as long as the blade, mostly acute 

 at apex and cuneate or rounded at base, sometimes subcordate, glaucous, as are 

 also the branchlets. Flowers in lax slender terminal panicles, the lowermost 

 flowers from the axils of leaves, the others mostly from the axils of small sub- 

 ulate bracts ; calyx tubular, campanulate, about 4- in. long, with 5 unequal sharp 

 teeth ; corolla greenish yellow, pubescent outside, tubular, 1-1 k in. long, con- 

 tracted below the very short cup-shaped limb and with five very short segments. 

 Fruit an oblong-ovoid, 2-valved capsule, about | in. or less in length, closely 

 invested by the persistent calyx, dehiscent septifracally from the apex by two 

 valves each again splitting down loculicidally part way and the placental column 

 is left in the center with its numerous minute oblong seeds about ^ line in 

 length. 



The specific name, glauca, is a Latin word descriptive of the blue-green color 

 of the leaves and branche" 



A small tree, quite distinct on account of its slim top, straight 

 wand-like branches, with sea-green bark and sparse glaucous foliage. 



It occasionally attains the height of 20 ft. (6 in.), with a trunk 8 

 or 10 in. (0.25 m.) in diameter, having a rather thin brown bark 

 fissured into irregular plates and papery scales. 



HABITAT. The Nicotiana glauca is a native of Buenos Ay res. It 

 has been introduced into southern California, presumably for 

 ornamental purposes, and has become thoroughly naturalized, at least 

 in the Coast region, and is common along streams, bottom-lands and 

 neglected lots in the vicinity of towns. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood light, soft, brittle, with minute 

 regularly arranged open ducts and fine medullary rays. It is of a 

 brownish yellow color, with lighter sap-wood. 



USES. We know of no use to which this tree is applied save for 

 ornamental planting. Its leaves are in no way suitable as a substitute 

 for tobacco, as its name and affinities might imply. 



ORDER EUPHORBIACE A IE : SPURGE FAMILY. 



Leaves alternate, mostly simple and with fungacious stipules. Flowers monoe- 

 cious or dioecious, sometimes without floral envelopes ; calyx, if present, gamo- 

 sepalous; corolla polypetalous or monopetalous, hypogenus or perigenous, or 

 commonly wanting, imbricated or twisted in aestivation ; stamens 1 to many 

 with globose or didymous anthers ; pistil with free usually 3-celled ovary (rarely 

 1 to 2 or several-celled) with a single or pair of anatropous ovules suspended from 

 the summit of each cell. Fruit a capsule mostly 3-celled and 3-lobed, the lobes 

 elastically separating from a persistent axis and 'then loculicidally splitting into 

 two valves ; seeds anatropous, crustaceous, with large straight embryo, broad 

 cotyledons and rather scant albumen. 



