Pmiller
Member
Does anyone know anything about Red Russian? I have some seed coming, I thought I'd plant some. It is a pretty looking plant, so I might put some in my wife's flower beds.
Does anyone know anything about Red Russian?
Is there any way to test nicotine content, or is that something a lab would do?
I was proud to be the first to answer, as I quickly said...I don't know. Mark TwainJitterbugdude, you got me laughing so hard I can't breathe...wry wit kills me.
Nicotiana tabacum var. macrophylla purpurea
UCGB 22/06 was received from the Missouri Botanical Garden in 1906 under the name of Nicotiana sanguinea. It is one of the plants usually known in gardens under that name. It is tall, six feet high or over, with large deep-red flowers, of the same shape as, though with rather deeper color than, those of N. Tabacum var. macrophylla (UCGB 68/07).
N. sanguinea is designated by Comes (1899, p. 20) as "N. Tabacum var. macrophylla purpurea," but it is to be noted that he expressly states that his N. Tabacum var. macrophylla purpurea includes both N. sanguinea and N. purpurea of the gardens, but only partially as to each. These two garden tobaccos vary in height, robustness, and color of flower. Even the shape of the flower varies among the different plants referred here.
The leaves are ample, with fairly long, broad-winged petiole, broadly ovate blade, which is more or less cucullate at the tip. There are combined in this plant characters of our N. angustifolia (UCGB 68/07) as to petiole, N. Tabacum var. brasiliensis (our Brazilian, UCGB 71/05) as to cucullate tip, tallness, and perhaps also the wing on the petiole, and N. Tabacum var. macrophylla (UCGB 22/07) as to flowers.
I have produced plants similar to this, but lacking tallness and the cucullate tip to the blade of the leaf, in F2 from crosses between UCGB 68/07 and 22/07. N. sanguinea, at least so far as UCGB 25/06 is concerned, is a poor and uncertain seeder. This leads one to suspect a possible hybrid origin.
It has bred true in the UCGB 25/06, however, for several years. This tobacco is grown, chiefly at any rate, as an ornamental plant.
UCGB 25/06 is well represented in plate 8.
The two garden species, known as N. sanguinea and N. purpurea vary in height and robustness but those with the darker flowers are called N. purpurea while those with the lighter flowers are called N. sanguinea.
Plate 8 :
I've developed a scientific system for testing nicotine content. Smoke a cigarette. When finished, if you feel like lighting up another, it's low in nicotine. If you don't, it's just right. If you feel a little queasy or dizzy it's very high in nicotine. If you feel like taking a dump, it's high.I don't know of any way to test for nicotine content without doing lab work...other than the obvious...smoke some.