Giant Tobacco,
Native Tobacco,
Mingkul#pa
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.


Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
Display IBRA region text
Northern Flinders (FLB05) | Flinders Lofty Block | Data Deficient [old record] |
Kintore (GVD04) | Great Victoria Desert | Near Threatened |
Breakaways (STP01) | Stony Plains | Data Deficient |
Oodnadatta (STP02) | | Data Deficient [old record] |
Witjira (STP06) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) [edge of range] |
Mann-Musgrave Block (CER01) | Central Ranges | Least Concern |
Watarru (CER02) | | Near Threatened |
Everard Block (CER03) | | Least Concern |
Tieyon (FIN03) | Finke | Near Threatened |
Prior names
Nicotiana suaveolens var. excelsior
Nicotiana macrocalyx
Common names
Giant Tobacco
Native Tobacco
Mingkul#pa
Etymology
Nicotiana, named after Jean Nicot (1530-1600), a French Ambassador for the King of France to Lisbon in 1560, who sent the first tobacco plant to France. Excelsior, from the Latin 'excelsa', meaning tall, referring to its habit.
Distribution and status
Found in the north-west part of South Australia, near the Northern Territory border, growing in rocky gullies and creeklines. Also found in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Uncommon in the other States.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre
NRM regions: Alinytjara Wilurara, South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Leafy annual or perennial herb to 1 m high or more, with mostly glabrous leaves and stems. Basal leaves elliptic or ovate to 25 cm long. with short broadly-winged. stem-clasping petioles. Stem leaves often narrow-elliptic or lanceolate. Inflorescence, erect, few-branched panicle-spikes; sparsely hairy, with tubular white flowers. Flowering between April and September. Fruits are brown ellipsoid to ovoid capsule to 20 mm long. Seeds are brown reniform seed to 0.1 mm long and 0.7 mm wide, covered in small depressions. Seed embryo type is linear, fully-developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between September and November. Collect mature capsules that are brown or turning a pale straw-colour and contain brown seeds. Can collect individual capsules or break off the whole fruit spike. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks, then rub the capsules gently by hand to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 100%.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature | BGA MSB | 30,500 (4.97 g) 30,500 (4.97 g) | 30+ | 4-Sep-2013 | MJT438 North Western | 24-Mar-2015 | 100% | -18°C |
BGA | 43,000 (6.12 g) | | 22-Jul-2017 | DEM8851 North Western | 30-Jun-2018 | 100% | -18°C, -80°C |
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.
Germination table:
Display
Date | Result | T0 | T50 | Pre-treatment | Germination medium | Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod |
Sep-14 | 92% | 7 | 7 |
500 mg/L gibberellic acid 48 h; 1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions |
Sep-14 | 90% | 7 | 7 |
500 mg/L gibberellic acid 48 h; 1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions |
Sep-14 | 4% | 7 | N/A |
1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions |
Sep-14 | 4% | 7 | N/A |
1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions |
Result: Maximum percentage of germination observed.
T0: Number of days before first germinant observed.
T50: Number of days to achieve 50% germination.
Pre-treatment: The initial treatment that the seeds received prior to placement on germination media.
Germination medium: The substrate that seeds were placed on for the duration of the germination experiment.
Incubator conditions:
Photoperiod: The duration of light exposure that the seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Thermoperiod: The constant or diurnal temperatures that seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Winter conditions: 15°C 20 h (3am→11pm); 5°C 4 h (11pm→3am) / 10 h light (8am→6pm); 14 h dark (6pm→8am)
Spring/Autumn conditions: 22°C 12 h (8am→8pm); 10°C 12 h (8pm→8am) / 12 h light (8am→8pm); 12 h dark (8pm→8am)
Summer conditions: 30°C 14 h (6am→8pm); 15°C 10 h (8pm→6am) / 14 h light (6am→8pm); 10 h dark (8pm→6am)