tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca) observed in La Jolla Coastal Trail, San Diego, CA, US
iNaturalist: mstrecker
Invasive Species
If you walk the La Jolla Coastal Trail, the tall shrub with tubular yellow flowers you pass may be tree tobacco — a plant toxic enough to have caused livestock and human deaths, yet easy to mistake for something ornamental.
Someone spotted and recorded tree tobacco growing along a popular coastal hiking trail in San Diego. Tree tobacco is originally from South America but has spread widely across California, where it crowds out native plants and poses a real poison risk to animals and people. Citizen scientists logging these sightings help land managers track where invasive plants are spreading so they can act before the problem grows.
Key Findings
A research-grade observation of tree tobacco was confirmed at La Jolla Coastal Trail, San Diego — meaning multiple identifiers agreed on the species ID.
Tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca) is an invasive species in California coastal habitats, documented as displacing native vegetation.
The plant contains toxic alkaloids (anabasine) harmful to humans, livestock, and wildlife, raising public safety concerns in a heavily visited recreational area.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), an invasive shrub from South America, has been documented at research-grade quality along the La Jolla Coastal Trail in San Diego. This sighting adds to the known spread of this toxic, drought-tolerant plant along Southern California's coastal habitats.
Abstract Preview
Research-grade observation of tree tobacco in La Jolla Coastal Trail, San Diego, CA, US.
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Species Mentioned
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Nicotiana glauca is a species of flowering plant in the tobacco genus Nicotiana of the nightshade family Solanaceae. It is known by the common name tree tobacco. Its leaves are attached to the stalk by petioles, and its leaves and stems are neither pubescent nor sticky like Nicotiana tabacum. It ...