Article: Wild Tobacco
Common Name
Tobacco Weed, Bugweed, Woolly Nightshade
Scientific Name
Solanum mauritianum
Family
Solanaceae
Lifecycle
Perennial
Seasons of Growth
Year-round
Key Distinguishing Feature
Wild Tobacco has large, ovate leaves with serrated margins. The leaves are often covered in fine, soft hairs, giving them a woolly appearance.
Wild Tobacco is a large, woody shrub or small tree that can grow up to 4 meters tall. It has a grey-green trunk and large, lance-shaped leaves that are densely covered with fine, felt-like hairs. The leaves are yellowish-green on the upper side and paler beneath, with a distinctive smell when crushed. The plant produces lavender-blue flowers with yellow stamens in compact clusters at the ends of branches, and small, round fruits that turn from green to yellow when ripe. Each fruit contains numerous light brown or yellowish seeds.
Methods for Control
Physical Removal:
- Hand-pulling or digging out seedlings and smaller plants, especially after rain when the soil is soft.
- Larger infestations can be cleared with machinery, followed by other treatments to manage regrowth.
Chemical Control:
- Foliar Spray: Effective for seedlings and young plants up to 2 meters tall. Use herbicides like glyphosate or fluroxypyr.
- Cut Stump: Suitable for larger plants. Cut stems close to the ground and apply herbicide immediately to the cut and sides of the stump.
- Herbicides:
Glyphosate 360 g/L: For foliar application and cut stump methods.
Fluroxypyr 333 g/L (e.g., Starane™ Advanced): For spot spraying and basal bark application.
Prevention:
- Clean vehicles, machinery, and footwear that have been in infested areas to prevent seed spread.
- Fire: Fire can be used to kill plants during dry seasons as the plants do not regrow from root parts.
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