Flower profile

Desert tobacco

Nicotiana obtusifolia

Native in the lower 48

Desert tobacco is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in January–December.

8states

2of our state lists

7,542U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, Nevada

Quick look

Nicotiana obtusifolia, or desert tobacco, is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae. It is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico.
From Wikipedia's article Nicotiana obtusifolia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Solanaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 8 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona and Nevada. ^NatureServe
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–December. ^iNaturalist
In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–November. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,480 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #38 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 638 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #58 among the 110 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

Desert tobacco gift ideas

Handmade desert tobacco gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Desert tobacco art print
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Desert tobacco greeting card
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Desert tobacco mug
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Desert tobacco earrings
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Desert tobacco embroidery pattern
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Desert tobacco sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,342 records)

Bloom time in each of our 2 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	February–December	2,480
Nevada	Native	January–November	638

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: OK (SH). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Nicotiana glauca (“Nicotiana”), as toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records desert tobacco in 8 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark, Lincoln, Nye.

More Arizona flowers

Silverleaf nightshade

Solanum elaeagnifolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: April–September

Sacred datura

Datura wrightii

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: April–October

Tree tobacco

Nicotiana glauca

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in AZ: March–December

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile NIOB.
iNaturalist, Nicotiana obtusifolia: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Nicotiana obtusifolia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Nicotiana obtusifolia (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Henrik Kibak via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.