Nicotiana tobacco is a genus of herbaceous plants, less often trees and shrubs from the Solanaceae family. Although the genus comprises about 70 species, the fame and prevalence of one - the noble tobacco N. tabacum - overshadowed all the others. And among them there are species of extraordinary beauty, and often of intoxicating scent.
The world-famous noble tobacco owes its fame to nicotine- a poisonous alkaloid that is used by the plant to defend itself against pests. Tobacco leaf decoction has long been used for a similar purpose. The earliest, however, was to smoke from the leaves - for this purpose, this plant from America was used around 3000 years ago.C.E. Even then, only cultivated forms were known - no wild forms were found in nature. Research shows that noble tobacco is a hybrid of three other species.
One of them is forest tobaccoN. sylvestris, currently cultivated as an ornamental plant. Its shape resembles noble tobacco. Large, clustered leaves at the base give the plants a conical shape. It is one of the most spectacular annual species. Not only because of its size (up to 2 m in height), but also because of its intriguing flowers. At the top of the branched shoots there are umbels composed of narrow and long hanging flowers. White, high-set inflorescences are extremely picturesque. Plants bloom for a very long time - from June to autumn. Forest tobacco looks beautiful in various types of flowerbeds, but, due to its size, it is most often planted in the back. It will also work well in flower beds or in containers. It is worth juxtaposing it with low, carpet species with flowers contrasting with the white, intense colors: Valerian's impatience, sage, koleus.It is suitable for sunny places and fertile, well-drained, but fresh soils.
Another ornamental type of tobacco is the Brazilian flanked tobaccoN. alata. Plants range from 80 to 150 cm in height, but the most popular cultivars are short varieties growing up to 50 cm. Regardless of the height, the plants form raised, highly branching shoots. The stems and leaves are covered with glandular hairs, which makes the entire plant sticky. The main decoration of this species are multi-colored flowers: white, yellow, pink, red, purple and greenish. They bloom all summer long. Flower petals are fused into a long tube. Their patches, i.e. non-fused parts, bend at right angles, which gives the flowers a star-shaped shape. The flowers smell intensely in the evening, attracting night butterflies, so it is good to plant the plants close to the rest corners.
Another ornamental species is derived from winged tobacco- Sander N tobacco.x sanderae. Its habit differs from the original species - the plants are shorter and more branched. As a result, they bloom more abundantly - almost all of them are covered with flowers, which, however, are devoid of smell. Due to their long and abundant flowering, they are ideal for container cultivation. Planted more densely, they create dense multi-colored carpets. Both species do best in sunny locations, but also do well in partial shade. The soil for them should be fertile, humus, with a neutral pH.
Decorative tobacco propagation
Ornamental tobacco is propagated from seedlings. Seeds are sown in boxes in March or April. They require light to germinate, so it does not cover up after sowing the seeds. At a temperature of 18-22 ° C, they germinate after 7-15 days. When the plants have produced two true leaves, they are picked up into pots. In the second half of May, ornamental tobaccos are planted permanently.
