Plants of
South Australia
Nicotiana truncata
Solanaceae
Moon Plains Tobacco
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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
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Common names

Moon Plains Tobacco

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. Truncata, from the Latin 'truncatus', meaning ending abruptly as if cut across, referring to the distinctive truncate calyx tube.

Distribution and status

Endemic to South Australia and found between Coober Pedy and Oodnadatta, growing in saline gyseous soil along creeklines. Native. Rare in South Australia.
Herbarium region: Lake Eyre
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Annual herb to 50 cm tall, with smooth stems and leaves. Leaves mostly in a rosette flat on the ground. Only in large vigorous plants are leaves elevated with one present at the first branch of the inflorescence. Leaves to 25 cm long and 15 cm wide, narrowly cuneate below and continuing along the petiole as a narrow wing; apex rounded, somewhat fleshy, shiny green. Inflorescence 1-6 flowered erect spike from the rosette, with tubular white flowers. Flowers possibly throughout the year depending on rainfall.
Fruits are papery brown. ellipsoid to ovoid capsule to 10 mm long and 7 cm wide; apex projecting above the closely investing truncate calyx, splitting across four valves. Seeds are brown reniform seed to 0.8 mm long and 0.5 mm wide, covered in a net-like surface. Seed embryo type is linear, fully-developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between January and December. 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 two collections, the seed viability was high, ranging from 90% to 100%.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB		16,000 (1.1 g)
16,000 (1.1 g)		5013-Mar-2007RJB70933
Gairdner-Torrens		1-Aug-200790%+5°C, -18°C
BGA77,000 (10.98 g)25+7-Oct-2010TST1056
Lake Eyre		1-Jan-2012100%+5°C, -18°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.
We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.