Flora of North America species comparison

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Nicotiana acuminata

many-flower tobacco, manyflower
Habit Herbs, annual, robust, from loose basal rosette.
Stems

branched from base (proximal branches longer), 5–20 dm, viscid-pubescent.
Cauline leaves

petiole length 1/3–1/6 blade;

blade elliptic to lanceolate, becoming very narrow near inflorescence, 10–25 cm, apex acuminate, surfaces viscid-pubescent, somewhat scabrous adaxially.
Inflorescences

few-branched, somewhat leafy; flowering crepuscular.
Pedicels

0.5–2 cm.
Flowers

calyx strongly purple-veined, 1–2 cm, membranous, viscid-pubescent (hairs without swollen bases), lobes long-triangular, unequal, longest equaling tube;

corolla straight, 2.5–10 cm (excluding limb), viscid-puberulent externally, tube white or white tinged with greenish purple, sometimes striped, 0.8–4 cm × 2–3 mm, widening to throat 1–4 × 5 mm, glabrous or minutely puberulent internally, limb spreading, white, circular, 2–4 cm diam., lobes shallow, deltate or emarginate;

stamens inserted near base of throat, included;

filaments unequal, in 2 equal or unequal pairs, 4 cm, 1 filament shorter than either pair, pubescent proximally;

style straight, just surpassing longest stamen pair.
Fruiting calyces

tearing along membranous sinuses, covering ca. 1/2 of mature capsule.
Capsules

broadly ovoid, 1–1.2 cm.
Seeds

0.9–1 mm.
Rosette

leaves: petiole length equaling blade;

blade ovate or orbiculate, 6–12 cm, surfaces viscid-pubescent, somewhat scabrous adaxially.
2n

= 24.

Nicotiana acuminata
Phenology Flowering Dec–Jul.
Habitat Open sandy or gravelly areas.
Elevation 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR; WA; South America (Chile) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico (Baja California)]
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Nicotiana acuminata is native to Chile and is naturalized on the West Coast from Baja California to Washington. It is easy to confuse with the native N. attenuata but differs in its much longer corolla tube and usually emarginate limb. The flowers are often clustered near the tips of the few inflorescence branches. Plants from the western United States are often identified as var. multiflora.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Solanaceae > Nicotiana
Sibling taxa
N. attenuata, N. clevelandii, N. glauca, N. longiflora, N. obtusifolia, N. plumbaginifolia, N. quadrivalvis, N. repanda, N. rustica, N. sylvestris, N. tabacum
Synonyms Petunia acuminata, N. acuminata var. multiflora
Name authority (Graham) Hooker: Bot. Mag. 56: plate 2919. (1829)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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