petunia (n.)

genus of ornamental plants native to South America and Mexico, 1825, from Modern Latin Petunia (1789), from French petun (16c.), an obsolete word for "tobacco plant" (in Century Dictionary, 1890, "said to be still in use in some parts of Canada"), from Portuguese petum, evidently from Guarani (Paraguay) pety. The petunia has a botanical affinity to the tobacco plant. See tobacco.