292 THE BOOK OF USEFUL PLANTS 



seen on the island of San Domingo, was called 

 " tabaco. " So there is little doubt that this funny 

 little nose-pipe gave its name to the plant, which 

 has spread from its native land, America, to the 

 principal countries of the Old World. 



Of course the Spaniards tried the novelty, and 

 soon learned to like the taste and smell of the 

 narcotic plant. They introduced it in Spain, and 

 the French ambassador to Spain took a plant 

 home with him, and presented it to the king and 

 queen. Other plants were sent by him to set out 

 in the royal gardens in Paris, where the great 

 reputation of the newcomer rested on its medici- 

 nal properties. Famous Spanish physicians had 

 hailed the tobacco plant as a cure for many 

 diseases, and it was called "the holy herb," and 

 "herba panacea," the cure-all. 



The name of Nicot, the ambassador to Spain, 

 was given to the tobacco plant by the botanist 

 Linnaeus, who named it Nicotiana Tabacum. 

 The drug, nicotine, contained in the sap of the 

 whole plant, is very poisonous. It must be remem- 

 bered that tobacco belongs in the Nightshade 

 Family, which has a number of poisonous plants 

 in it. 



Fifty different plants of the genus Nicotiana are 



kn^wn. The tobacco of th^ worl4 comes chiefly 



