Tobacco - Desert Style (2)

Yes, two varieties of tobacco grow in the desert. This one is the Desert Tobacco. It is much more of a low-lying shrub than the Tree Tobacco. The stems and leaves have nettles for protection.

Here are a bunch of flowers on slender stems.
A close up...

And here are a couple of beetle larvae that seemed to be all over this plant. I don't know what they will become.

Tobacco - Desert Style (1)

Not a big fan of tobacco, but it is an interesting plant. The natives used these plants for smoking and incense. Like any tobacco plant they are somewhat poisonous.

Tree Tobacco can begin to look like a tree and I've seen them well over 6' tall. In fact this one is probably over 8' tall in this wash. Not really much of a tree, just tall like a young tree. Certainly more tree-like than shrub-like, I guess.

Here is a cluster of the tubular flowers

A close up...

Here are some of the leaves. You can see one dead and drying on the plant while another is on its way there.