191 



N. Ord. SOLANACE^J. 

 Tribe Nicotianea:. 



Genus Nicotiana,* Linn. Dunal, in DC. Prod., xiii, sect, i, 

 pp. 556-572. Species about 60, natives of tropical America, 

 the Pacific Islands, and Australia. 



191. Nicotiana Tabacum,f Linn., Sp. Plant, ed. i, p. 180 



(1753). 



Tobacco. Cultivated Tobacco. Virginian Tobacco. 



Syn. Nicotiana macrophylla, Lehm. N. auriculata, Bert. ? 



Figures. Woodville, t. 77; Bigelow, t. 40; Steph. & Ch., t. 37; Nees, 

 t. 194; Hayne, xii, t. 41 ; Berg. & Sch., 1. 12 d; Nees, Gen. Fl. Germ. 



Description. A coarse robust annual, reaching 6 feet high, 

 with a long tapering root. Stem erect, unbranched, cylindrical, 

 solid, green, thickly set with soft viscid hairs. Leaves alternate, 

 numerous, the lower ones very large, reaching as much as 2 feet 

 in length, shortly stalked, ovate-lanceolate or ovate, the upper 

 ones smaller, more or less amplexicaul at the base, rather variable 

 in form, oval-oblong or lanceolate or somewhat obovate, all 

 acute, quite entire, somewhat waved, covered with viscid hairs, 

 and some small sessile glands, bright green, paler beneath, 

 midrib thick, lateral veins curved at the margin. Inflores- 

 cence a terminal, rounded or oval panicle, with a few short 

 branches ; flowers not numerous, spreading horizontally, shortly 

 stalked ; bracts linear. Calyx tubular, somewhat inflated, green, 

 cut half way down into 5 narrow-lanceolate acute segments, 

 viscid-hairy. Corolla If 2 inches long, tubular, the tube in- 

 flated in its upper half, smooth within, pale greenish-yellow, 

 finely glandular-hairy outside, the limb spreading, cut into 5 

 broadly triangular pointed lobes, dull pink or red, plicate in the 



* So called in the 16th century, in honour of Jean Nicot, French ambas- 

 sador at Lisbon, who in 1560 brought the plant thence into France. 



f Tabacum, a Latin form of Tobacco, which is said to be originally a 

 native word meaning the pipe or tube used in smoking by the Indians. 



