Stats

Lifespan

5-15 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Desert scrubland

Range

South America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

Tree tobacco is a tall shrub native to Bolivia and Argentina that has spread as an invasive weed across warm, dry climates worldwide. Every part of the plant is laced with anabasine — a nicotine analog potent enough to be lethal to livestock and humans — making its cheerful yellow tubular flowers a deceptive hazard.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Solanales

Family

Solanaceae

Genus

Nicotiana

Species

Nicotiana glauca