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Re: Nicotiana glauca

Dear Tim and fellow medit-planters,

I have been researching your question about the growing of red forms at the
UC Botanical Garden, hence no reply until now.  

We are not growing any red forms of Nicotiana glauca at this time.
However, the records indicate that one of our accessions of Nicoticana
glauca collected by James West in the early 1930s had red flowers at the
time of collection.  In cultivation the flowers are yellow.  We don't know
if this was an initial error of data collection/transcription or if there
is something else going on.

Nicotiana glauca is an invasive weed in California (especially Southern
California) but has not proved to be a problem within the Botanical Garden
(nor is it spreading into surrounding areas to the best of our knowledge).

Here's wishing you a cheery and weed-free new year!

Holly Forbes



>Date: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 19:26:36 GMT
>Reply-To: celia@eddy.u-net.com
>Sender: owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
>From: celia@eddy.u-net.com (Celia Eddy)
>To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
>Subject: Re: Nicotiana glauca: some cautions
>X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
>
>On Tue, 16 Dec 1997 17:17:59 -0800 (PST), Kay Lancaster wrote:
>
>>As far as I know, N. glauca always has that greenish yellow flower color.
>>It's also quite toxic; there have been several deaths from ingestion
>>(the nicotine content is very high).  In addition, the California Exotic
>>Plant Pest Council of The Nature Conservancy has it on their "Exotic
>>Pest Plants of Greatest Concern" list... in the same rating category
>>as canada thistle.
>>
>>
>Kay: Many thanks for your note. 
>
>Goodspeed was quite clear about the fact that he had collected and was
>(late 50s/early 60s) growing red and even maroon forms of N. glauca so
>they certainly did/do exist. On the other hand, if the plant has
>become a noxious weed in California, I daresay the U. of Cal. is not
>too keen to be reminded of its historic links with it, in yellow,
>green, red, maroon or even purple-&-pink-spotted forms! Certainly I
>got no reply when I asked the Bot. Garden if they still grew
>Goodspeed's red and maroon forms. 
>
>I can't imagine it becoming an Exotic Pest Plant in the U.K. Difficult
>enough to get it to do more than merely survive. Even more diffciult
>to make it look as though it's actually flourishing. Certainly it's
>never shown any sign of self-sowing for me. Has anyone else in the
>U.K. (or elsewhere in Europe) ever known it do so?
>
>I'm always amazed at how many plants turn out to be
>toxic/hallucinogenic (or more usually both) when you investigate. For
>instance, how many folks in the UK and Ireland know that that pretty
>shrub, so common in mild moist gardens, with holly-like leaves and red
>tubular flowers, Desfontainea spinosa, is one of the most
>feared/revered of S. American hallucinogens? And no, before you ask, I
>don't know which bit or bits or how you prepare it or them.
>
>Hope all Medit-Planters have a completely non-toxic festive season -
>and one that's hallucinogenic only in ways you approve and control!
>
>Tim Longville
>Celia Eddy
>celia@eddy.u-net.com
>
>
*****************************************************************************
Holly Forbes
Curator
UC Botanical Garden
200 Centennial Drive, #5045
Berkeley, CA 94720-5045

http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/

Phone: 510-643-8040
FAX:  510-642-5045
hforbes@nature.berkeley.edu
*****************************************************************************
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