Nicotiana attenuata
Coyote tobacco
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Solanaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Nicotiana attenuata (Coyote tobacco) is a native California herb in the Solanaceae family, recognized by small flowers and wide distribution.
Coyote tobacco is a California native annual found in interior regions, including the central and eastern parts of the state, on open, well-drained slopes at elevations of 200 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from May to October, this plant produces white flowers with a salverform corolla 20 to 35 millimeters long, forming a delicate white-petaled bloom with widely triangular lobes. Growing 50 to 150 centimeters tall with glandular-hairy stems that may become somewhat glabrous with age, it develops an upright and branching form. Its leaves vary distinctively, with basal leaves elliptic to ovate, lower stem leaves lance-shaped and petioled, and upper stem leaves progressively narrower and sessile. The fruit is a small capsule 8 to 12 millimeters long, containing tiny seeds less than one millimeter in size.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; key features are small flowers and wide distribution
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, well-drained slopes
Elevation: 200-3000 m
California counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, Mono, San Diego, Siskiyou, Inyo, Merced, Ventura, Tulare, Fresno, Modoc, Madera, Tuolumne, Orange, Alpine, Shasta, Santa Barbara, Lassen, Plumas, El Dorado, Mariposa, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, San Luis Obispo, Humboldt, Amador, Sacramento, Sonoma, Trinity, San Benito
Outside California: to British Columbia, Montana, New Mexico, northwestern Mexico
Bloom period
Nicotiana attenuata blooms May-Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Mirabilis: Nicotiana has tubular flowers with visible petals; Mirabilis has petal-like sepals with no true petals.; vs Oxalis: Nicotiana has tubular nightshade flowers; Oxalis has clover-like leaves and 5-petaled flowers.; vs Phytolacca: Nicotiana has tubular flowers in terminal clusters; Phytolacca has tiny flowers in drooping spikes and purple berries.; vs Solanum: Nicotiana has flowers in branched terminal clusters; Solanum has flowers with prominent yellow anther cone.; vs Encelia: Nicotiana has tubular nightshade flowers; Encelia has yellow daisy-like composite flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nicotiana attenuata native to California?
Yes. Nicotiana attenuata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Nicotiana attenuata bloom?
Nicotiana attenuata blooms May-Oct.
Where in California does Nicotiana attenuata grow?
Nicotiana attenuata occurs in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, Mono, San Diego, Siskiyou, Inyo and other counties, at elevations of 200-3000 m.
What plant family does Nicotiana attenuata belong to?
Nicotiana attenuata is in the Solanaceae family, genus Nicotiana.
What habitat does Nicotiana attenuata grow in?
Nicotiana attenuata grows in Open, well-drained slopes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.