Anybody hazard a guess what variety this might be?

[Muskrat]

A friend gave me these to see if I might be able to grow them, even though they're about 7 years old, and don't know if they're viable.

 

[deluxestogie]

Clearly, both the seed packager and the vendor did not know the variety. If the seed looks like espresso-ground coffee, it is some variety of Nicotiana tabacum. If instead it looks like a coarser percolator-ground coffee, then it may be Nicotiana rustica. But it could be some other, utterly unsmokable species of Nicotiana.

Given their age, likely dubious storage, and their complete lack of provenance, I would only bother with them if you just like a challenge.

Bob

 

[OldDinosaurWesH]

Colonial Williamsburg is a tourist trap in Virginia that my mother went to in her later years (1990's). They sell all kinds of stuff via catalog. After my mom died, I continued to get their catalogs, but haven't seen one for several years. I still have an expensive mechanical clock and a set of equally expensive coffee mugs from there (2004). None of these items are actually made in Williamsburg. All are English imports.

Bob is correct. I wouldn't bother trying to grow these unless you are just curious. I would suspect those seeds are just more expensive tourist knick-knacks.

Wes H.