View source for Nicotiana tabacum

{{short description|Species of plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Tabak P9290021.JPG
|genus = Nicotiana
|species = tabacum
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
{{tobacco}}

'''''Nicotiana tabacum''''', or cultivated [[tobacco]], is an [[Annual plant|annually grown]] [[herbaceous]] plant of the ''[[Nicotiana]]'' [[genus]]. The plant is tropical in origin, is commonly grown throughout the world, and is often found in [[Cultivation of tobacco|cultivation]]. It grows to heights between 1 and 2 meters (3' to 6'). Research is ongoing into its ancestry among wild ''[[Nicotiana]]'' species, but it is believed to be a hybrid of ''[[Nicotiana sylvestris]]'', ''[[Nicotiana tomentosiformis]]'', and possibly ''[[Nicotiana otophora]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1139/gen-44-4-559 |title=AFLP analysis of genetic polymorphism and evolutionary relationships among cultivated and wild ''Nicotiana'' species |year=2001 |last1=Ren |first1=Nan |last2=Timko |first2=Michael P. |journal=Genome |volume=44 |issue=4 |pages=559–71 |pmid=11550889}}</ref> It is the most commonly grown of all plants in the genus ''Nicotiana,'' the plants' leaves commercially grown to be processed into tobacco.

==Description==
It is an annual plant that grows {{convert|1 to 3|m|ft|0|abbr=off}} high and is sticky hairy on all parts. The stems are thick and not very branched. The [[leaves]] can be over {{convert|50|cm|ftin}} long with the [[leaf blade|blades]] ovate to elliptical, or [[obovate]], pointed towards the front and, at the base, run down the stem or are [[sessility (botany)|sessile]], encompassing the stem.

The scented [[inflorescence]]s are multi-branched [[panicles]]. The flower stalks are {{convert|5 to 15|mm|in|frac=16}} long. The [[calyx (botany)|calyx]] is {{convert|12 to 18|mm|in|frac=16}} and is covered with uneven {{convert|4 to 8|mm|in|abbr=on|frac=16}} narrow pointed calyx lobes shorter than the calyx tube. The [[crown (botany)|crown]] is plate-shaped, the coronet is white, pink or red, the [[corolla (botany)|corolla]] tube greenish-cream, pink or red. The corolla tube has a total length of {{convert|3.5 to 4.5|cm|in|abbr=on|frac=8}} and is {{convert|3 to 5|mm|in|abbr=on|frac=32}} wide in the lower part and widens to {{convert|7 to 12|mm|in|abbr=on|frac=16}} in the upper part. The coronet is lobed or pentagonal. The [[stamen]]s are designed unevenly and start below the center of the corolla tube. The [[anthers]] of the four longer stamens are close to the opening of the corolla tube or are slightly above it. The fifth stamen is significantly shorter than both longer pairs. The stamens have a length of {{convert|2.5 to 3.5|cm|in|abbr=on|frac=8}}, significantly longer than the anthers, and are hairy at the base.

The fruit is a {{convert|1.5 to 2|cm|in|abbr=on|frac=16}} long capsule that is narrowly elliptical to egg-shaped. It can stand out over the chalice or be enclosed by it. The seeds are spherical or broadly elliptical and are up to {{convert|0.5|mm|in|abbr=on|frac=64}} long with a wavy networked surface.

Almost every part of the plant except the seed contains nicotine, but the concentration is related to different factors such as species, type of land, culture and weather conditions. The concentration of nicotine increases with the age of the plant. Tobacco leaves contain 2 to 8% nicotine combined as [[malate]] or [[citrate]]. The distribution of the nicotine in the mature plant is widely variable: 64% of the total nicotine exists in the leaves, 18% in the stem, 13% in the root, and 5% in the flowers.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

=== Phytochemistry ===
Natural tobacco [[polysaccharides]], including [[cellulose]], have been shown to be the primary precursors of [[acetaldehyde]] in [[tobacco smoke]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Talhout |first1=R |last2=Opperhuizen |first2=A |last3=van Amsterdam |first3=JG |date=Oct 2007 |title=Role of acetaldehyde in tobacco smoke addiction |journal=Eur Neuropsychopharmacol |volume=17 |issue=10 |pages=627–36 |doi=10.1016/j.euroneuro.2007.02.013 |pmid=17382522 |s2cid=25866206}}</ref> The main [[polyphenols]] contained in the [[tobacco leaf]] are [[rutin]] and [[chlorogenic acid]]. [[Amino acids]] contained include [[glutamic acids]], [[asparagine]], [[glutamine]], and [[γ-Aminobutyric acid]]  <ref>{{cite journal |last1=Roberts |first1=E.A.H. |year=1951 |title=The polyphenols and amino acids of tobacco leaf |journal=Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=299–303 |doi=10.1016/0003-9861(51)90109-9 |pmid=14886011}}</ref>

[[Pyridine alkaloids]] are present in tobacco as [[free bases]] and [[salts]]. [[Nicotine]] accounts for 90-95% of the plant's [[pyridines]] with [[Nornicotine]] and [[anatabine]] accounting for roughly 2.5% each. [[Pyridyl]] [[functional groups]] present in minute amounts include [[anabasine]], [[myosmine]], [[cotinine]] and [[2, 3′-bipyridyl]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Jianxun |display-authors=etal |year=2007 |title=Selective Determination of Pyridine Alkaloids in Tobacco by PFTBA Ions/Analyte Molecule Reaction Ionization Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry |journal=Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry |volume=18 |issue=10 |pages=1774–1782 |doi=10.1016/j.jasms.2007.07.017 |pmid=17716908 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Indole alkaloids are also present in leaves and stems which includes harmala alkaloids as well. [[Yohimbine]], [[harmine]], [[haramaline]] and [[ajmalicine]] occurs in descending order, yohimbine being highest.<ref name="pmid32708364">{{cite journal |vauthors=Tarkowská D |date=July 2020 |title=A Fast and Reliable UHPLC-MS/MS-Based Method for Screening Selected Pharmacologically Significant Natural Plant Indole Alkaloids |url= |journal=[[Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)]] |volume=25 |issue=14 |page=3274 |doi=10.3390/molecules25143274 |issn= |pmc=7397342 |pmid=32708364 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

The [[tobacco plant]] readily absorbs [[heavy metals]] from the surrounding soil and accumulates them in its leaves. These are readily absorbed into the user's body following smoke inhalation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pourkhabbaz |first1=Alireza |last2=Pourkhabbaz |first2=Hamidreza |year=2012 |title=Investigation of Toxic Metals in the Tobacco of Different Iranian Cigarette Brands and Related Health Issues |url= |journal=Iran J Basic Med Sci. |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=636–644 |pmc=3586865 |pmid=23493960}}</ref>

Tobacco also contains the following [[phytochemicals]]: [[glucoside]]s ([[tabacinine]], [[tabacine]]), [[2,3,6-trimethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone]], [[2-methylquinone]], [[2-napthylamine]], [[propionic acid]], [[anthalin]], [[anethole]], [[acrolein]], [[cembrene]], [[choline]], [[nicotelline]], [[nicotianine]], and [[pyrene]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Xiaotao |last2=Wang |first2=Ruoning |last3=Zhang |first3=Li |last4=Ruan |first4=Yibin |last5=Wang |first5=Weiwei |last6=Ji |first6=Houwei |last7=Lin |first7=Fucheng |last8=Liu |first8=Jian |year=2018 |title=Simultaneous determination of tobacco minor alkaloids and tobacco-specific nitrosamines in mainstream smoke by dispersive solid-phase extraction coupled with ultra-performance liquid chromatography/Tandem orbitrap mass spectrometry |journal=Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry |volume=32 |issue=20 |pages=1791–1798 |bibcode=2018RCMS...32.1791Z |doi=10.1002/rcm.8222 |pmid=29964303 |s2cid=49639753}}</ref>

==== Megastigmatrienone{{anchor|Megastigmatrienone}} ====
Tobacco aroma is due to presence of different volatile compounds; [[megastigmatrienone]] being the key flavor compound in tobacco.<ref name="pmid24528661">
{{cite journal |vauthors=Slaghenaufi D, Perello MC, Marchand-Marion S, Tempere S, de Revel G |date=February 2014 |title=Quantitative solid phase microextraction--gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis of five megastigmatrienone isomers in aged wine |url= |journal=[[Analytica Chimica Acta]] |volume=813 |issue= |pages=63–9 |doi=10.1016/j.aca.2014.01.019 |issn= |pmid=24528661}}
</ref><ref name="pmid26948587">
{{cite journal |vauthors=Slaghenaufi D, Perello MC, Marchand S, de Revel G |date=July 2016 |title=Quantification of megastigmatrienone, a potential contributor to tobacco aroma in spirits |url= |journal=[[Food Chemistry]] |volume=203 |issue= |pages=41–48 |doi=10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.02.034 |issn= |pmid=26948587}}
</ref> Megastigmatrienone is used as flavour in tobacco products as well.<ref name="KrüsemannVisser2018">
{{cite journal |last1=Krüsemann |first1=Erna JZ |last2=Visser |first2=Wouter F |last3=Cremers |first3=Johannes WJM |last4=Pennings |first4=Jeroen LA |last5=Talhout |first5=Reinskje |year=2018 |title=Identification of flavour additives in tobacco products to develop a flavour library |url=https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/tobaccocontrol/27/1/105/DC1/embed/inline-supplementary-material-1.xlsx?download=true |journal=Tobacco Control |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=105–111 |doi=10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-052961 |issn=0964-4563 |pmc=5801651 |pmid=28190004}}
</ref>

Megastigmatrienone, a [[cyclohexenone]],<ref name="ymdb.ca-01739">{{cite web |title=Megastigmatrienone (YMDB01739) |url=https://www.ymdb.ca/compounds/YMDB01739 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115190530/https://www.ymdb.ca/compounds/YMDB01739 |archive-date=15 January 2020 |access-date=27 February 2022 |website=Yeast Metabolome Database}}</ref> and a carotenoid-derived aromatic compound, produces [[Aroma of wine#Identified aroma compounds|spice notes associated with wine]].<ref name="pmid24528661" /><ref>
[[wiktionary:megastigmatrienone]]
</ref><ref name="j.foodchem.2016.02.034">
{{cite journal |last1=Slaghenaufi |first1=Davide |last2=Perello |first2=Marie-Claire |last3=Marchand |first3=Stéphanie |last4=de Revel |first4=Gilles |date=July 2016 |title=Quantification of megastigmatrienone, a potential contributor to tobacco aroma in spirits |url=https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02635531 |journal=Food Chemistry |volume=203 |pages=41–48 |doi=10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.02.034 |pmid=26948587 |access-date=27 February 2022}}
</ref><ref name="ncats.io/drug/3QY2F7PCN3">{{cite web |title=MEGASTIGMATRIENONE A |url=https://drugs.ncats.io/drug/3QY2F7PCN3 |access-date=27 February 2022 |website=Inxight Drugs |publisher=[[National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences]] |language=en}}</ref>

Megastigmatrienone is a metabolite of [[Saccharomyces cerevisiae|Brewer's yeast]].<ref name="ymdb.ca-01739" />

Megastigmatrienone, as ''Tabanone'', is manufactured by [[Symrise]] as a perfume ingredient.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tabanon |url=https://www.symrise.com/scent-and-care/aroma-molecules/ingredient-finder/#Tabanon |access-date=27 February 2022 |website=Ingredient Finder |publisher=symrise.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tabanon |url=https://www.symrise.com/fileadmin/symrise/Marketing/Scent_and_care/Aroma_molecules/Ingredient_finder/SYM_PC_Datenblaetter/SYM_PC-Tabanon.pdf |access-date=27 February 2022 |website=Symrise}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web |title=Megastigmatrienone (Tabanone) |url=http://www.sincopharmachem.com/MegastigmatrienoneTabanone.html |access-date=27 February 2022 |website=SincoPharmachem}}
</ref><ref name="patent/US8513180B2">{{cite web |last1=Wiedemann |first1=Joern |last2=Kaufhold |first2=Astrid |date=20 August 2013 |title=US8513180B2 Ethanol-free perfume oil microemulsion |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US8513180B2/en |access-date=27 February 2022 |website=google patents |language=en}}</ref>

==Habitat and ecology==
''N. tabacum'' is a native of [[tropical]] and [[subtropical]] [[Americas|America]], also appearing as a [[weed]].

''N. tabacum'' is sensitive to temperature, air, ground humidity and the type of land. Temperatures of {{convert|20|-|30|C|F}} are best for adequate growth; an atmospheric humidity of 80 to 85% and soil without a high level of [[nitrogen]] are also optimal.

=== Parasites ===
The potato tuber moth (''[[Phthorimaea operculella]]'') is an oligophagous insect that prefers to feed on plants of the family Solanaceae such as tobacco plants. Female ''P. operculella'' use the leaves to lay their eggs and the hatched larvae will eat away at the mesophyll of the leaf.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Varela|first1=L. G.|last2=Bernays|first2=E. A.|date=1988-07-01|title=Behavior of newly hatched potato tuber moth larvae, Phthorimaea operculella Zell. (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), in relation to their host plants|journal=Journal of Insect Behavior|language=en|volume=1|issue=3|pages=261–275|doi=10.1007/BF01054525|s2cid=19062069|issn=0892-7553}}</ref>

== Uses ==
The plant is native to the [[Caribbean]], where the [[Taíno]] people were the first recorded peoples to use it and cultivate it.
In 1560, [[Jean Nicot de Villemain]], then French ambassador to [[Portugal]], brought tobacco seeds and leaves as a "wonder drug" to the [[France|French]] court. In 1586 the [[botanist]] Jaques Dalechamps gave the plant the name of ''Herba nicotiana'', which was also adopted by [[Linné]]. It was considered a [[decorative plant]] at first, then a [[panacea (medicine)|panacea]], before it became a common snuff and tobacco plant.

Tobacco arrived in [[Africa]] at the beginning of the 17th century. The leaf extract was a popular pest control method up to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1851, the [[Belgium|Belgian]] [[chemist]] [[Jean Stas]] documented the use of tobacco extract as a murder [[poison]]. The Belgian count [[Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé]] had poisoned his brother-in-law with tobacco leaf extract in order to acquire some urgently needed money. This was the first exact proof of [[alkaloids]] in [[forensic medicine]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wennig |first1=Robert |year=2009 |title=Back to the roots of modern analytical toxicology: Jean Servais Stas and the Bocarmé murder case |url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/d4d9c39f828c0d3cfd6f8abef64826a0af7cd98e |journal=Drug Testing and Analysis |volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=153–5 |doi=10.1002/dta.32 |pmid=20355192 |s2cid=42750864}}</ref>

It is now commercially [[Horticulture|cultivated]] worldwide. All parts of the plant contain nicotine, which can be extracted and used as an insecticide. The dried leaves can also be used; they remain effective for 6 months after drying. The juice of the leaves can be rubbed on the body as an insect repellent. The leaves can be dried and chewed as an [[intoxicant]]. The dried leaves are also used as snuff or are smoked. This is the main species that is used to make [[cigarettes]], [[cigar]]s, and other products for smokers. A [[drying oil]] is obtained from the seed.

Other varieties are cultivated as [[ornamental plants]].

=== Curing and aging ===
After tobacco is harvested, it is cured (dried), and then aged to improve its flavor. There are four common methods of [[curing tobacco]]: air curing, fire curing, flue curing, and sun curing. The curing method used depends on the type of tobacco and its intended use.
Air-cured tobacco is sheltered from wind and sun in a well-ventilated barn, where it air dries for six to eight weeks. Air-cured tobacco is low in sugar, which gives the tobacco smoke a light, sweet flavour, and high in nicotine. Cigar and burley tobaccos are air cured.

In fire curing, smoke from a low-burning fire on the barn floor permeates the leaves. This gives the leaves a distinctive smoky aroma and flavor. Fire curing takes three to ten weeks and produces a tobacco low in sugar and high in nicotine. Pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff are fire cured.

Flue-cured tobacco is kept in an enclosed barn heated by flues (pipes) of hot air, but the tobacco is not directly exposed to smoke. This method produces cigarette tobacco that is high in sugar and has medium to high levels of nicotine. It is the fastest method of curing, requiring about a week. Virginia tobacco that has been flue cured is also called bright tobacco, because flue curing turns its leaves gold, orange, or yellow.

Sun-cured tobacco dries uncovered in the sun. This method is used in Greece, Turkey, and other Mediterranean countries to produce oriental tobacco. Sun-cured tobacco is low in sugar and nicotine and is used in cigarettes.

Once the tobacco is cured, workers tie it into small bundles of about 20 leaves, called hands, or use a machine to make large blocks, called bales. The hands or bales are aged for one to three years to improve flavor and reduce bitterness.

=== Ethnomedicinal uses ===
{{more citations needed section|date=November 2012}}
The regions that have histories of use of the plant include:{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}
*[[Brazil]]: The leaf juice is taken orally to induce [[vomiting]] and narcosis.
*[[Colombia]]: Fresh leaf is used as poultice over boils and infected wounds; the leaves are crushed with oil from palms and used as hair treatment to prevent baldness.
*[[Cuba]]: Extract of the leaf is taken orally to treat dysmenorrhea.
*[[East Africa]]: Dried leaves of ''Nicotiana tabacum'' and ''[[Securinega]] viros''a are mixed into a paste and used externally to destroy worms in sores.
*[[Ecuador]]: Leaf juice is used for indisposition, chills and snake bites and to treat pulmonary ailments.
*[[Fiji]]: Fresh root is taken orally for asthma and indigestion; fresh root is applied ophthalmically as drops for bloodshot eyes and other problems; seed is taken orally for rheumatism and to treat hoarseness.
*[[Guatemala]]: Leaves are applied externally by adults for myiasis, headache and wounds; hot water extract of the dried leaf is applied externally for ring worms, fungal diseases of the skin, wounds, ulcers, bruises, sores, mouth lesions, stomatitis and mucosa; leaf is orally taken for kidney diseases.
*[[Haiti]]: [[Decoction]] of dried leaf is taken orally for bronchitis and pneumonia.
*[[Hong Kong]]: Fresh leaves are mashed and combined with vegetable oil to create a potion that is applied to injuries for it to heal faster. This practice is also apparent in other places in [[China]].
*[[Iran]]: Infusion of the dried leaf is applied externally as an insect repellent; ointments made from crushed leaves are used for baldness, dermatitis and infectious ulceration and as a pediculicide.
*[[Mexico]] (south-eastern): Among the [[Maya civilization|ancient Maya]], ''Nicotiana ''was considered a sacred plant, closely associated with deities of earth and sky, and used for both [[visionary]] and [[therapeutic]] ends. The contemporary [[Tzeltal people|Tzeltal]] and [[Tzotzil people|Tzotzil Maya]] of [[Chiapas highlands|Highland Chiapas]] (Mexico) are bearers of this [[ethnobotanical]] inheritance, preserving a rich and varied tradition of ''Nicotiana ''use and [[folklore]]. The entire tobacco plant is viewed as a primordial medicine and a powerful botanical "helper" or "protector". Depending on the condition to be treated, whole ''Nicotiana ''leaves are used alone or in combination with other herbs in the preparation of various medicinal plasters and teas. In its most common form, fresh or ‘‘green’’ leaves are ground with slaked lime to produce an intoxicating oral snuff that serves as both a protective and therapeutic agent.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.2993/0278-0771-30.1.5 |title=The Angel in the Gourd: Ritual, Therapeutic, and Protective Uses of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Among the Tzeltal and Tzotzil Maya of Chiapas, Mexico |year=2010 |last1=Groark |first1=Kevin P.|journal=Journal of Ethnobiology|volume=30|issue=1|pages=5–30|s2cid=86134500 }}</ref>
*[[United States]]: Extract of ''N. tabacum'' is taken orally to treat tiredness, ward off diseases, and quiet fear.
*[[Tanzania]]: Leaves of ''Nicotiana tabacum'' are placed in the vagina to stimulate labour.
*[[Zimbabwe]]: Leaves or root of the plant are infused and taken by mouth for asthma and other respiratory problems. Leaves and roots are also rubbed against warts and wounds as ointment.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.17348/era.10.0.045-057 |title=Garden Plants in Zimbabwe: Their ethnomedicinal uses and reported toxicity |year=2012 |last1=Maroyi |first1=Alfred|journal=Ethnobotany Research and Applications |volume=10|issue=1|pages=54 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Tobacco.jpg
File:Patch of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum ) in a field in Intercourse, Pennsylvania..jpg
File:Starr 050225-4662 Nicotiana tabacum.jpg
File:Starr 040501-0030 Nicotiana tabacum.jpg
File:Nsr-slika-082.png
File:Nicotiana_tabacum_-_Köhler–s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-098.jpg
File:Nicotiana tabacum Blanco1.36-cropped.jpg
File:Tobacco blossom 1580.jpg
</gallery>

== See also ==

* [[Nicotiana rustica]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{Commons category-inline|Nicotiana tabacum|''Nicotiana tabacum''}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q181095}}

[[Category:Nicotiana|tabacum]]
[[Category:Tobacco]]
[[Category:Flora of North America]]
[[Category:Flora of Central America]]
[[Category:Flora of the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:Flora of South America]]
[[Category:Crops originating from North America]]
[[Category:Crops originating from South America]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine]]
[[Category:Tobacco in Mexico]]
[[Category:Tobacco in the United States]]
[[Category:Neotropical realm flora]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Flora without expected TNC conservation status]]