Scientific Name:
Ocimum basilicum
Pronunciation:
OH-sih-mum buh-SIL-ih-kum
Common Name:
sweet basil
Family Name:
Lamiaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as), Greenhouse produce plant
Key ID Features:
Stems leggy, purple; leaves smooth and bright green or purple, opposite, ovate with serrate margins which tend to curve downwards, highly scented.
Habit:
Spreading, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.1 - 0.3m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
South Asia / India
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects, Bedding plant, Container planting, Dried flower or fruit, Fragrance, Hanging basket, Herb, Small garden/space
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Distinctive smell
Colour in Summer:
Green, cv. 'Dark Opal' has purple red leaves that are clove scented.
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Cordate
Margins:
Serrate
Additional Info:
middle leaf shot of dark opal basil others are sweet basil
Inflorescence Type:
Verticillaster, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White, Violet, Pink
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Aug, Sep
Fruit Type:
Schizocarp
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Additional Info:
Not showy, Ovary separates into four tiny mericarps or "nutlets" that are enclosed in a persistent calyx
Bark or Stem Colour:
Propagation:
Seed
Pest Susceptibility:
Beetles or weevils, Fungal leaf spot, Mildew, Mold, Wilt
