Birding Travels
In North America

Desert Tobacco - Nicotiana obtusifolia var. obtusifolia
5/25/16
Ready Pay Gulch
East of Hillsboro, NM, USA

Nicotiana obtusifolia, Desert Tobacco, is a plant of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.  See the BONAP map to the right for the U.S. range.  The light green color indicates that the species is native to and not rare within the county indicated.  

Vascular Plants of the Gila list this species under its scientific synonym, Nicotiana trigonophylla.  Its common names include Desert Tobacco, Little Tobacco, Tabaquillo, and Punche.

The current description of this species dates from 1845, when it was published by Martin Martens and Henri Guillaume Galeotti.  These two collaborated extensively and among other things co-authored significant works on the family Solanaceae. 

Several indigeonous tribes (Cahuilla, Navajo, Pima, Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Papago, and Yuma) used this plant for food and for medicinal and ceremonial purposes.