Scientific Name
Nicotiana tabacum, N. alata
Common Name
Tobacco, Flowering tobacco

HIGHLY TOXIC, MAY BE FATAL IF EATEN!

Characteristics

Family
Solanaceae
Plant Description
Stout, annual herb; leaves large, alternate, simple, with sticky hairs; flowers tubular, cream, pink, or green-white, 5-lobed at top; fruit a capsule with many, minute seeds.
Origin
South America.
Where Found
Landscape as cultivated crop plant, rarely escaped; ornamental "flowering tobacco" planted in flower gardens.
Mode
Ingestion.
Poisonous Part
All parts.
Symptoms
Vomiting, diarrhea, slow pulse, dizziness, collapse, and respiratory failure.
Toxic Principle
Nicotine and other alkaloids.
Severity
HIGHLY TOXIC, MAY BE FATAL IF EATEN!

"Poisonous Plants of North Carolina," Dr. Alice B. Russell, Department of Horticultural Science; Dr. James W. Hardin, Botany; Dr. Larry Grand, Plant Pathology; and Dr. Angela Fraser, Family and Consumer Sciences; North Carolina State University. All Pictures Copyright @1997Alice B. Russell, James W. Hardin, Larry Grand. Computer programming, Miguel A. Buendia; graphics, Brad Capel.

Disclaimer: The list of poisonous plants on this web site does not necessarily include every poisonous plant that is known, or that might be found in an urban landscape or home. North Carolina State University does not advise eating any of the plants included in this web site. The information concerning edibility is taken from the literature, and the degree of reliability is unknown. We discourage the use of any of these plants for self medication. In cases of accidental exposure or ingestion, contact the Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222.

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