Long tubular greenish-yellow flowers which are very attractive to hummingbirds. Leaves are oval shaped, alternate, on long stems.  Big Canyon, Upper Newport Bay, Newport Beach, CA. 5-21-06. © Joan Avise.

Tree Tobacco

Nicotiana glauca

An exotic species, introduced from South America in the late 1800's. A 6-24 ft. tall short-lived perennial shrub or small tree with bluish green leaves,  It is now widespread in disturbed places where it can be locally quite common.  Flowering: year round. It may compete with native species for pollination by hummingbirds.

The nicotine found in tobacco is poisonous to many insects.  The ripe and opened pod-like fruits house a very small black hemipterous insect (Thyreocoris extensus) that sucks out the contents of the tiny seeds.  This species is highly toxic to humans and should never be substituted for tobacco.  Some believe this plant is a reservoir for the plant pathogen Tobacco Mosaic Virus (Clarke). It is being investigated for use as a biofuel (Wikipedia).

Solanaceae

Back to Solanaceae of Orange County, California
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Big Canyon, Upper Newport Bay, Newport Beach, CA. 5-21-06. © Joan Avise.
Flowers have a 5-cleft calyx, unequally toothed; corolla 5-lobed, tubular, 1 1/2 in. long; 5 stamens on the corolla tube.  Big Canyon, Upper Newport Bay, Newport Beach, CA. 5-21-06. © Joan Avise.

UCI Ecological Preserve, Irvine, CA. 6-1-11. © Joan Avise.
UCI Ecological Preserve, Irvine, CA.6-1-11. © Joan Avise.

Seed pods. Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 1-29-12. © Joan Avise.
Seed pods. Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 1-29-12. © Joan Avise.