Nicotiana

摘要

Garden-worthy species and hybrids for bedding offer a variety of selling points. There are two quite distinct markets for ornamental Nicotiana, popularly known as the tobacco plant. The species remain the province of the specialist nurseries and plant centres while the pack-grown bedding plant hybrids are widely available in every garden centre in spring. Nicotiana, like the closely related petunia. belongs to the Solanaceae family and consists of more than 60 species heralding from Central and South America and Australia. Economically the most important is Nicotiana tabacum, grown to produce tobacco. The genus takes its name from a 16th-century French consul, Jean Nicot, who introduced tobacco from Portugal to his home country. Another species, the wild tobacco Nicotiana rustica, has a horticultural application--it is the source of nicotine for insecticidal use.