| Nicotiana | | | | or not, the grower is going to pick between 10 and 16 |
| The tobacco plant belongs to the family of Solanacea | | | | leaves. |
| (same as potatoes and tomatoes), and to the genus | | | | How High Do They Grow? |
| of Nicotiana. Tobaccos grown for smoking products | | | | If not topped, the most common grown tobacco plants |
| are classified in the subgenus Nicotiana Tabacum, | | | | can grow up to 8 or 9 feet tall. When shade grown |
| species Nicotiana Tabacum L. But after decades of | | | | and irrigated, the development is fast and the stalk is |
| gene tampering and uncontrolled hybridations, it is | | | | weak. Each plant has to be propped up to keep it |
| impossible to know exactly what is what! After much | | | | straight up. On the contrary, some oriental types, with |
| research conducted during the 20th century, it seems | | | | very small leaves, do not grow over 3 feet. |
| that all grown tobaccos are coming from 4 original | | | | Stalk Position |
| subspecies : Havanensis, Brasiliensis, Virginica and | | | | When going up from the foot to the tip of a tobacco |
| Purpurea. | | | | plant, leaves become darker, thicker and fuller. |
| Tobacco Seeds | | | | Therefore, knowing the origin of the tobacco is not |
| Tobacco seeds are tiny, very tiny. One flower gives | | | | enough to guess how the cigar is going to smoke. The |
| about 3000 seeds. Depending on the variety, you can | | | | stalk positions of the leaves are the determinants for |
| count between 10,000 and 20,000 seeds per gram, | | | | the taste... |
| around half a million per ounce. Tobacco cannot be | | | | Tobacco Uses |
| planted directly in the field. The grower has to set | | | | Smoking, chewing and snuffing are the main ways to |
| seedbeds first, to take care of them and to select the | | | | consume tobacco. Some types of tobaccos are used |
| resulting small plants for transplanting. Nowadays, the | | | | as decorative plants (Petunias). Nicotine extracts are |
| grower can buy trays with alveoli prepared with soil | | | | used in pharmacology and perfumery. Nicotine was |
| and one single seed, coated with nutrients. | | | | also used to fatten pigs but I am not sure it is still |
| Leaves Per Plant | | | | permitted. The tobacco plant is good material for |
| A tobacco plant produces between 20 and 30 leaves, | | | | genetic and botanical fundamental research because it |
| and even more if buds are not removed. They are not | | | | is a fast growing plant allowing several generations per |
| all usable. According to the process in the field, mainly | | | | year. |
| depending on whether the tobacco plants are topped | | | | |