Nicotiana tabacum

Natural tobacco

The Virginian tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum ) is a species of the genus tobacco in the nightshade family (Solanaceae ). He is the most economically important species of the tobacco industry and is grown in a variety of varieties. The species is originally even from a natural cross between forest tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris) and Nicotiana tomentosiformis emerged. Genetically Nicotiana tabacum tetraploid, so he has four sets of chromosomes.

Description

The Virginian tobacco is a 1 to 3 m tall, annual plant that is hairy sticky on all parts. The stems are thick and only slightly branched. The larger leaves are about 50 cm long, the shape of the leaf blade is ovate to elliptic or obovate. Forward the leaves are acuminate or acute at the base, they run down the stem or are sessile and amplexicaul.

The inflorescences are multi-branched panicles. The flower stems are 5 to 15 mm long. The cup reaches a length of 12 to 18 mm and is staffed with 4-8 mm long, schmalspitzigen, unequal calyx lobes designed. The sepals are shorter than the calyx tube. The crown is salverform, the coronary band is white, pink or red colored, the corolla tube greenish cream-colored, pink or red. The corolla tube has a total length of 3.5 to 4.5 cm, and in the lower part 3 to 5 mm wide, widens in the upper part 7 to 12 mm. The coronary band is lobed or pentagonal. The stamens are designed unequally to put them below the middle of the corolla tube to. The anthers of the four longer stamens stand near the opening of the corolla tube or protrude slightly beyond it. The fifth stamen is significantly shorter than the two longer pairs. The filaments have a length of 2.5 to 3.5 cm and are significantly longer than the anthers. At the base of the stamens are hairy.

The fruit is a 1.5 to 2 cm long capsule is formed narrow elliptic to ovate. You can stand on the cup out or be enclosed by this. The seeds are spherical or elliptically wide and 0.5 mm long. Its surface is undulating reticulate.

Occurrence

It is believed that the Virginian tobacco from western South America comes from, but it was introduced even before the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in Central America and Mexico. Today, the species is widely cultivated and is occasionally found as a cultural refugee.

System

The Virginian tobacco is placed within the genus genus (Nicotiana ) in the monotypic section Nicotiana. The species is a natural, allotetraploide hybrids, as a parent species were determined Nicotiana sylvestris one hand as maternal parent species and Nicotiana tomentosiformis as paternal parent species. Nicotiana tabacum, in turn, is the maternal parent species of Nicotiana × digluta, the paternal parent species of this hybrid Nicotiana glutinosa is.

Varieties

The cultivated tobacco is usually divided into groups, the most important are:

  • Virginia tobacco: The taste when smoking is described as a sweet, straw-like and hay -like.
  • Burley tobacco: The taste is spicy, bitter, earthy and woody.
  • Oriental tobacco: The taste is sweet heavy, sweaty and grassy.

Documents

Pictures of Nicotiana tabacum

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