Nicotiana Rustica a Mystery Ornamental Flower Plant
The European conquerors of America watched in amazement when smoke emerged from the mouths of American Indians. Not long afterwards, Europe, too, was smoking. Genuine tobacco, with its more refined taste, was discovered later. In World War II, when supplies from the tropics came to an end in The Netherlands, people grew Nicotiana rusticana, which is easier to cultivate in this climate, to roll into cigarettes.
Give it a try as an ornamental plant in a border of annuals. The flowers are only V4 in wide and, although they are open during the day, they are not very striking. It is the leaves, up to 12 in long, that give the plant its decorative appearance. It usually grows to between 32 in and 48 in tall.
Nicotina rustica ‘Mon Cap’ was featured in the Plant World Seeds (New Abbot) catalogue as Nicotiana ‘Mon Cap.’ The English grower called it a “mystery plant.” The seed came from a customer, and the plants cultivated from it look suspiciously like the common rusticana.
