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Cultivated Tobacco

Nicotiana tabacum

Found in persistent after cultivation; commonly cultivated, rarely naturalized. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height
3–10 feet
Spread
1–2 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual or perennial
Leaves
Deciduous or semi-evergreen
Fruiting season
September to October

Not yet recorded · Bloom

Recorded in 1 Florida county.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

52CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Nicotiana

  • Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Agrotis malefidaRascal Dart, Pale-Sided Cut-Worm, Shagreened Cut-Worm
  • Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
  • Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
  • Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
  • Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
  • Anomis erosaYellow Scallop Moth, Mallow Caterpillar
  • Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
  • Apantesis phylliraPhyllira Tiger Moth
Show all 52
  • Argyrogramma verrucaGolden Looper
  • Autoplusia egenaBean-Leaf Skeletonizer Moth
  • Chloridea subflexaSubflexus Straw, Groundcherry Sun Moth
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Choephora fungorumBent-Line Dart
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Cryptothelea gloveriiOrange Bagworm
  • Ctenoplusia oxygrammaSharp-Stigma Looper Moth
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Feltia herilisMaster's Dart
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Feltia repletaReplete Dart
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Glyphodes sibillalisMulberry Leaftier
  • Hahncappsia mancalisCommon Hahncappsia
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
  • Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
  • Lineodes integraEggplant Leafroller
  • Manduca quinquemaculatusFive-Spotted Hawkmoth, Tomato Hornworm
  • Manduca sextaCarolina Sphinx, Tomatoe Sphinx, Tobacco Hornworm
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Neodactria caliginosellusCorn Webworm, Corn Root Webworm, Sooty Crambus
  • Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
  • Paratrea plebejaPlebeian Sphinx, Trumpet Vine Sphinx
  • Pediasia trisectaSod Webworm Moth, Larger Sod Webworm
  • Protolampra brunneicollisBrown-Collared Dart
  • Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
  • Rhectocraspeda periusalisEggplant Webworm
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera albulaWhite-Spotted Armyworm, Gray-Streaked Armyworm
  • Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Sunira bicoloragoBicolored Sallow
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
  • Tulsa finitella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Nicotiana

  • Alectoris chukarChukar
  • Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Solanaceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–11b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Cream, green, pink or white
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Tobacco

Conservation status

Florida rankSNA
Global rankGNR
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources