Nicotiana benthamiana

Nicotiana benthamiana (colloquially known as benth or benthi) is a close relative of tobacco and species of "Nicotiana" indigenous to Australia. 
A synonym for this species is "Nicotiana suaveolens" var. "cordifolia", a description given by George Bentham in "Flora Australiensis" in 1868. This was transferred to "Nicotiana benthamiana" by Karel Domin in "Bibliotheca Botanica" (1929), honoring the original author in the specific epithet.
History.
The plant was used by people of Australia as a stimulant, containing nicotine and other alkaloids, before the introduction of commercial tobacco ("N. tabacum" and "N. rustica"). Indigenous names for it include "tjuntiwari" and "muntju". It was first collected on the north coast of Australia by Benjamin Bynoe on a voyage of in 1837.
Description.
The herbaceous plant is found amongst rocks on hills and cliffs throughout the northern regions of Australia. Variable in height and habit, the species may be erect and up to or sprawling out no taller than . The flowers are white.
Research uses.
"N. benthamiana" has been used as a model organism in plant research. For example, the leaves are rather frail and can be injured in experiments to study ethylene synthesis. Ethylene is a plant hormone which is secreted, among other situations, after injuries. Using gas chromatography, the quantity of ethylene emitted can be measured. Due to the large number of plant pathogens able to infect it, "N. benthamiana" is widely used in the field of plant virology. It is also an excellent target plant for agroinfiltration.
"N. benthamiana" has a number of wild strains across Australia, and the laboratory strain is an extremophile originating from a population that has retained a loss-of-function mutation in "Rdr1" (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 1), rendering it hypersusceptible to viruses.
Biotechnology.
"N. benthamiana" is also a common plant used for "pharming" of monoclonal antibodies and other recombinant proteins; for example, the drug ZMapp was produced using these plants.
COVID-19 vaccine development.
The Quebec City-based, biotechnology company, Medicago Inc., uses "N. benthamiana" as a "factory" to produce virus-like particles over short incubation periods (days) and in high volume, enabling rapid manufacturing capability for a potential COVID-19 vaccine. In July 2020, Medicago began a Phase I clinical trial to test the safety and immunogenicity of the Medicago COVID-19 vaccine candidate.