Nicotiana tabacum Article

Tobacco plants, Nicotiana tabacum are occasionally seen around the island. It is member of the very large Solanaceae family which includes edible plants such as tomato and potato as well as those that will do humans harm such as deadly nightshade and the daturas. Possibly introduced by early shipwrecked sailors the first records date back to 1610 when Sir George Somers labelled Tobacco Bay on his 1610 chart. It became an important export crop early in the development of the Islands with rents and salaries being paid with tobacco. This lasted for most of the 17th Century, but by 1703 'Governor Bennett declared that not much was grown than used by the family ... '.(Bermuda Her Plants & Gardens Jill Collett). According to Lefroy 'the value was 2s 6d a lb in 1620 which had fallen to 3d in 1690 when it ceased to pass as currency.' Despite that impressive initial price he goes on to say 'There is reason to believe that Bermuda's tobacco was never of good quality, ... '! Perhaps some intrepid experimenter might like to find out by rolling a cigar with some local tobacco!