Duboisia hopwoodii
Encyclopedia
Duboisia hopwoodii . is a shrub native to the arid interior region of Australia
. Common names include Pituri, Pitchuri thornapple or Pitcheri. It has an erect habit, usually growing to between 1 and 3 metres in height and has long, narrow leaves. Flowers are white and bell-shaped with violet-striped throats. These appear between June and November in the species native range followed by purple-black, rounded berries which are 3 to 6 mm in diameter.
made by indigenous Australians
from this species. It is prepared by drying and powdering leaves, flowers and flowering stalks mixing with ash and rolling into quids.
Only those plants found in the Mulligan River area are used as these have a greater quantity of nicotine
, in contrast to plants from other areas which contain more poisonous nornicotine and are used for animal poison.
in 1861 in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae and given the name Anthocercis hopwoodii. In 1876, von Mueller transferred the species to the genus Duboisia
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Common names include Pituri, Pitchuri thornapple or Pitcheri. It has an erect habit, usually growing to between 1 and 3 metres in height and has long, narrow leaves. Flowers are white and bell-shaped with violet-striped throats. These appear between June and November in the species native range followed by purple-black, rounded berries which are 3 to 6 mm in diameter.
Pituri
Pituri is a traditional chewing tobaccoChewing tobacco
Chewing tobacco Chewing tobacco Chewing tobacco (also known colloquially as hoobastank, backy, tobac, doogooos,Hogleg, chewpoos, chits, chewsky, chawsky, dip, flab, chowers, guy, or a wad, as well as referred to as dipsky, snuff, a pinch, a yopper, a Packing a bomb, a tobbackey or packing a...
made by indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
from this species. It is prepared by drying and powdering leaves, flowers and flowering stalks mixing with ash and rolling into quids.
Only those plants found in the Mulligan River area are used as these have a greater quantity of nicotine
Nicotine
Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants that constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots and accumulation occurring in the leaves...
, in contrast to plants from other areas which contain more poisonous nornicotine and are used for animal poison.
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by botanist Ferdinand von MuellerFerdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
in 1861 in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae and given the name Anthocercis hopwoodii. In 1876, von Mueller transferred the species to the genus Duboisia
Duboisia
Duboisia is a genus of small perennial shrubs to trees about 14 m tall, with extremely light wood and a thick corky bark. There are four species; all occur in Australia, and one also occurs in New Caledonia....
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