The toxic alkaloid especially associated with tree tobacco, Nicotiana glauca, is anabasine. This pyridine-and-piperidine alkaloid occurs in high concentrations in tree tobacco and is chemically related to nicotine, another tobacco alkaloid.
Nicotiana glauca is native to South America but has spread widely as an introduced plant. It can grow more than 2 metres tall and is often found along roadsides and in other disturbed, dry habitats. Its leaves contain enough anabasine and nicotine that eating them can be fatal. Anabasine activates nicotinic acetylcholine receptors; at high exposure, that overstimulation can progress to neuromuscular paralysis and cardiovascular collapse.
The main quiz trap is nicotine. Nicotine is the best-known tobacco alkaloid and is also present in N. glauca, but anabasine is the compound most characteristically highlighted for tree tobacco poisoning. Anabasine is also found in trace amounts in tobacco smoke and can serve as a biomarker of tobacco exposure. The plant’s genus name, Nicotiana, commemorates Jean Nicot, the French ambassador who helped introduce tobacco to France in the 16th century.