The tobacco tree is another alien species that has found its way to the
In warm climates it flowers all year round and produces large quantities of seeds. In
The shrub tobacco is an invasive species and in many areas where it has been introduced it is considered as a pest and action is taken to eradicate it because of its ability to displace indigenous species. In other areas it is considered as a medicinal plant and is even used to produce biofuels.
It is related to the tobacco plant which is the source of the tobacco used for smoking. In fact both belong to the Nicitiana family a name given in honour of Jean Nicot (1530-1600), a French diplomat, who is said to have introduced tobacco to Europe as snuff (powdered tobacco that is sniffed up the nostril) to the French court.
Shrub tobacco is being studied as a potential treatment for nicotine addiction since it does not contain nicotine, but similar chemicals. It is claimed that the leaves are smoked for ritual purposes by the Navajo Indians however, smoking and/or ingesting the plant has lead to death as all parts of the plant contain chemicals that have insecticidal properties which make all parts of the plant extremely poisonous and thus unpalatable to insects and other animals.