Java Tobacco is a flowering herbaceous perennial or annual small tree or shrub, native to Bolivia in South America, and in the nightshade family. It can reach a mature height of 10 feet with sweetly fragrant flowers that open at night from summer into fall. It is a short-day plant that only flowers when the daily period of light is shorter than some critical length. The plant can have a spindly growth habit. It is commonly grown throughout the world and its leaves are the source for commercially grown tobacco. Java Tobacco does best in consistently moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade, with some afternoon shade in hot summer climates. It will tolerate most soil types as long as they are well drained. Java Tobacco does not tolerate temperatures below mid-20s F, so it is often grown as an annual ornamental. It has mostly been replaced in the landscape by shorter varieties that open during the day and have no fragrance. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No serious diseases or insect pests; however, it is susceptible to tobacco mosaic virus.
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.