Nicotiana knightiana

Nicotiana knightiana Goodsp.

Nicotiana knightiana is a species in the genus Nicotiana, family Solanaceae, native to Chile Central, Chile North, and Peru. It was first described in 1938 by Goodsp. This species is a robust annual or short-lived shrub, reaching up to 3 m in height, with multiple stems emerging from a lignified horizontal base. It is characterized by herbaceous, green, tomentose stems and ovate, undulate leaves with a dense indumentum on the abaxial side, giving them a whitish appearance. The inflorescence is a broad thyrse or lax panicle, with pale yellow-green corollas and glandular-hairy pedicels. The capsule is ovoid, and the seeds are subrotund, brown, and reticulate.

Description

Nicotiana knightiana is a member of the Solanaceae family, found in Chile Central, Chile North, and Peru. It is a robust annual or short-lived shrub that can grow up to 3 m tall, with multiple stems arising from a lignified horizontal base. The herbaceous stems are green and tomentose. Leaves are ovate, undulate, with a rounded to subcordate base and an obtuse to acute apex. Larger leaves measure 13 x 10 cm, with a dense indumentum on the abaxial side, making them appear whitish. The inflorescence is a broad thyrse or lax panicle, up to 40 cm long. Corollas are pale yellow-green, 20–23 mm long, with a 16 mm throat and a notched limb. Stamens extend below the limb, with filaments pubescent at the base and glabrous above. The capsule is ovoid, 6–8 mm long, and the seeds are subrotund, 0.5–0.7 mm, with a reticulate surface.