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White Shooting Stars

Nicotiana sylvestris (nih-ko-tee-AY-nah sil-VESS-triss)

Family: Solanaceae Unknown Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

A tender rosette-forming perennial that reseeds fairly easily and will naturalize in the landscape. It does best in organically rich, consistently moist well-drained soil in the full sun and it will appreciate some partial shade in the south's hot afternoon sun. Long-lasting tubular white flowers appear from June and last until the first frost. Remove spent blooms to encourage flowering. It provides color and intoxicating fragrance into lates summer when many other blooms fade.Its upright habit might require staking. It works well in gardens where its showy blooms and sweet fragrance can be enjoyed like walkways, near patios or nighttime gardens. Consider it also for borders, cottage gardens. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Apids and beetles can be occasional problems. Do not plant near other members of the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant etc.) because of the possible transmission of tobacco mosaic virus and other diseases.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 40 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Nicotiana tabacum

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Annual; Herbaceous Perennial
Life cycle
Annual; Perennial
USDA zones
10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 2 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Oblong; Spatulate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Long (up to 15") coarse spatulate to oblong leaves
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Long-lasting
Flower shape
Star; Trumpet; Tubular
Flower detail
Blooms from June until the first frost with clusters of long tubular trumpet shaped white flowers that resemble shooting stars, hence the common name.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Argentina
Wildlife value
Attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and moths.
Attracts
Butterflies; Hummingbirds; Moths; Pollinators
Play value
Wildlife Food Source
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area; Patio; Small Space; Walkways
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Cottage Garden; Nighttime Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#showy flowers #white flowers #nighttime garden #hummingbird friendly #fragrant flowers #cottage garden #long-lasting flowers #naturalizes #pollinator plant #butterfly friendly #flowers late summer #moth friendly #wildlife friendly #walkway #bat friendly
Problems & Resistance
Disease problems
Southern Bacterial Wilt on Herbaceous Ornamental Plants
Propagation
Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.