Tobacco types: The most popular types of tobacco

More and more hobby gardeners decide to plant tobacco in their own garden. We show which species and varieties are suitable for cultivation with us.

When it comes to tobacco (Nicotiana) most immediately think of huge fields of Virginian tobacco in the vastness of the American continent. But with more than 60 different types of tobacco, it is not only in terms of processing into smoking tobacco that there is great variety in its properties, for example with regard to the nicotine content or the aroma. The herbaceous plants are also excellent as ornamental plants. With their bright flowers in summer and autumn, they decorate pots, balcony boxes and beds. We introduce you to the great variety that smoking and ornamental tobacco cards and their varieties offer.

The tobacco genus (Nicotiana) belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and unites around 65 to 75 species. These differed in their growth height, nicotine content, flower color and other properties. There are ornamental tobacco varieties that remain small and grow to a height of just 30 centimeters, and true giants such as tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), which can reach a height of ten metres. Even among the types of smoking tobacco, there are major differences within one species. Some varieties are particularly suitable for making cigars, others as shisha tobacco, fine-cut tobacco or for flavoring tobacco blends.

Planting tobacco in your own garden sounds pretty exotic. But with the necessary prior knowledge, a rich harvest of tobacco leaves is also possible for you. Tobacco cultivation is a bit of a challenge, but by choosing the right types of smoking tobacco you can create your personal favorite tobacco blend. Because each variety has its own characteristics in terms of taste and nicotine content. But tobacco is also an interesting plant for non-smokers. Various types of ornamental tobacco are just waiting to decorate your garden with colorful blossoms and to fill summer evenings with their typically sweet and heavy fragrance.

Smoking Tobacco Types

The main types of smoking tobacco used are theVirginian tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), but also farmer's tobacco (Nicotiana rustica).

Virgin Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum): This species is divided into different classes based on the nicotine content and the characteristics of the tobacco differ in their uses.

• Virginia tobacco: Mild tobacco with medium nicotine content; one of the most used varieties for smoking tobacco production (60% of the world production); growth height up to 2 m; pink bloom; serves as a basis for cigarette blends; very high sugar content, but burns quite quickly; high tolerance to diseases and pests.
  • Virginia Gold: Pale Tobacco; high sugar.
• Burley tobacco: Mild tobacco with medium nicotine content; large leaves; pink flowers; absorbs additives such as flavorings particularly well because the cell structure is enlarged; suitable for cigarette, pipe and chewing tobacco.
  • Bursanica: Height of growth up to 3 m; very productive.
  • Panama: Very large leaves, up to 1 m long.
  • Adonis: Tobacco with a mild flavor as a basis for cigarettes; pink blossom.
  • Jupiter: The mild tobacco has a fairly low nicotine content; pink bloom; serves as a basis for cigarette or pipe tobacco.
• Oriental tobacco: All types suitable for shisha; spicy tobacco; rather small, oval leaves; used to flavor cigarette and pipe mixtures.
  • Latakia Peremochez Orient: Low nicotine tobacco that is dried in the full sun to develop its spicy taste; very large leaves; growth height up to 2 m; pink bloom; used to season shisha or pipe tobacco.
  • White Orient: Spicy sweet tobacco with low nicotine content; relatively small leaves; white blossom.
  • Orient Xanthi: Sweet, light tobacco with low nicotine content; growth height up to 1.2 m; pink bloom; used for cigarette and pipe mixtures.
  • Smyrna Orient: Spicy tobacco with medium nicotine content; small, rounded leaves; pink bloom; for cigarette and pipe mixtures.
  • Samsoun: Spicy Tobacco; small, oval leaves; Growth height up to 3 m.
  • Baffra Basma: Low Nicotine; for cigarette and pipe mixtures.

• Spiced Tobacco: Used to flavor cigarette and pipe mixtures.
  • Maryland: Basis for cigarette tobacco; middle leaves; growth height up to 2 m; pink blossom.
  • Kentucky: Dark tobacco with a strong, spicy aroma; robust beginner plant; also suitable for pot culture; perennial; used to flavor cigarette tobacco, as snuff or chewing tobacco.
  • Lausitz: Spicy tobacco with low nicotine content; relatively small leaves; growth height up to 2 m; pink bloom; well used to the German climate.
• Cigar tobacco: Strong tobacco for flavoring tobacco blends or unmixed in cigars.
  • Lorsch wrapper: Spicy cigar tobacco is; very large leaves; growth height up to 2 m; pink bloom; very well suited as a binder/cover sheet.
  • Havanna: Original variety for Cuban cigar tobacco; very large leaves; growth height up to 2 m; pink bloom; very productive leaf harvest, also suitable as shisha tobacco.
  • Fogeu: Dark but mild tobacco; used to make cigars or to flavor cigarette tobacco.

Other interesting varieties are also:

• Red Front Korso: Dark tobacco that is spicy and mild at the same time; large but narrow leaves; growth height up to 2 m; pink bloom; can be planted very close together due to the narrow leaves.
• Badischer Geudertheimer: Spicy but mild tobacco; pink bloom; Leaves turn reddish brown when drying; serves as cigar, cigarette or pipe tobacco.
• Pergeu: Dark tobacco with medium nicotine content; very large leaves; growth height up to 2 m, pink flowers; suitable for cigars, cigarette or pipe tobacco.

Peasant Tobacco (Nicotiana rustica): Very spicy, strong tobacco with a high nicotine content; has rather small, rounded leaves; annual; growth height up to max. 1.5 m; greenish-yellow flowers between June & September; very robust and site tolerant; was cultivated by Native Americans in eastern North America; the fermented tobacco smells of violets; serves as hookah and cut tobacco.

Note: Simply mix different strains or types and create a smoking mixture that fully meets your needs.

Ornamental tobacco varieties

Ornamental tobacco is not grown for the nicotine contained in the leaves, but for the bright colors of its flowers and the scent that will bring you summer nights in the gardencan sweeten. Therefore, other types and varieties are better suited for this purpose than for the cultivation of smoking tobacco. In addition to the ornamental tobacco (Nicotiana x sanderae), which is mostly sold in the trade, there are also a number of particularly interesting wild species that we would like to briefly introduce to you.

Ornamental tobacco (Nicotiana x sanderae): Ornamental tobacco convinces with its flowers from May to October , with numerous bright colors available. These range from white to yellow-green or red to dark brown. The inflorescences, which usually grow in umbels, typically open at dusk and emit a slightly sweet scent throughout the night. At sunrise the flowers close again. Breeding, however, has also resulted in varieties whose flowers open earlier or are open all day. Many ornamental tobacco varieties have emerged from crosses between Nicotiana alata and Nicotiana forgetiana. Bushy, low varieties are ideal for planting in pots and boxes on the balcony, terrace or in the garden. Slightly taller cultivars make excellent background or cover plants due to their narrow, straight stature and tolerance of companionship. Popular varieties or series of varieties are the following:

• Fragrant Cloud: Creamy white flower; Growth height up to 90 cm.
• Black Night: Dark chocolate-brown flower; Growth height up to 100 cm.
• Lime Green: Green-yellow flower; Growth height up to 90 cm.
• Scarlet King: Scarlet Blossom; Growth height up to 80 cm.
• Perfume Deep Purple: Purple flower; growth height up to 35 cm; strong evening fragrance
• Merlin Series: White, salmon pink, lime green, purplish purple flowers; Growth height up to 25 cm.

• Havana-Range: Bordeaux, light pink flowers; Growth height up to 35 cm.
• VIP Series: Yellow, red flowers; Growth height up to 40 - 80 cm.
• Domino Series: White, light green, pink, red flowers; Growth height up to 35 cm.
• Sperling's Brasilia: White, red, dark red flowers; Growth height up to 40 cm.
• Idol: bright red flower; Growth height up to 50 cm.
• Eau de Cologne Mixed: flowers from white to pink to dark purple; Growth height up to 50 cm.
• Gnome Series: Dark red, deep pink, lilac flowers; Growth height up to 40 cm.
• Nicky-Series: carmine, light pink, white flowers; Growth height up to 40cm.
• Starship Series: White, light pink, creamy yellow, bright pink, deep purple, red flowers; Growth height up to 30 cm.
• Dynamo Series: White, light green, pink, salmon, carmine flowers.
• Tuxedo Series : Light green, white, purple flowers.
• Prelude Series: White, pink, red flowers.

Note: Although ornamental tobacco varieties are usually offered as annuals, the plants are actually perennials. However, they must be overwintered frost-free.

Other recommended tobacco plant varieties

The following is a list of other great tobacco plant varieties for your garden:

Scented/Forest/Mountain Tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris): This species forms large, white bell-shaped flowers from July. These open in the late afternoon and exude an intense, sweet scent. growth height up to 2 m; perennial if overwintered frost-free; Medium nicotine tobacco for tobacco blends; large leaves.

Tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca): The species grows as a shrub or tree up to 7 m. The leathery leaves are frosted with blue and have a very low nicotine content. They contain many medicinally effective alkaloids. Small yellow trumpet flowers appear from April to October.

Nicotiana maritima: Rarely cultivated wild species from Australia; growth height up to 70 cm; white, fragrant trumpet flowers that open during the day; suitable for balcony boxes or beds.

Nicotiana mutabilis: The flowers of this wild species change color over time from white to pink to pink and smell lovely in the evening hours; Growth height up to 1.5 m.

Nicotiana langsdorfii: The wild species from Brazil flowers in apple green from summer to autumn; annual; Growth height up to 1.5 m.

We have put together detailed instructions for you on how best to plant tobacco.