Native to Bolivia and Argentina, Nicotiana glauca Graham, is now found growing wild in arid and semiarid regions of different parts of the globe, where in some countries is an important exotic invasive. In Brazil the species had not been reported as invasive, but in the areas of design integration of the Rio São Francisco (PISF), Nicotiana glauca forming aggregates can be observed in individuals with high densities. Thus, this study sought to answer some questions in order to infer the situation observed in the Semiarid Northeast. We evaluated the structure, reproduction, existence of allelochemicals and ecological niche modeling of species. The estimated density for the species was 37,280 ± 2442.3 individuals ha-1. The plant can produce more than 1.3 million seeds per individual. From the initial concentration of the extract (5%), seed germination, seedling size and biomass were significantly affected. The species had a high probability of occurring in regions of sub-humid and semi-arid climate of Brazil. The results of this study demonstrate the need for immediate control of the species in the PISF and subsidize the rationalization of resources to prevent new cases of biological invasion by Nicotiana glauca in other parts of Brazil.
bioinvasion; cigar-the-king; dry forest; Savannah
