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 4-sided, leggy, purplish; leaves opposite, ovate, most blades 3-8(-11)cm long x 2-5cm wide, margin serrate, glabrous, highly scented, bright green (purplish cvs.); flowers in vertillasters.
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
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:
Sep, Oct
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
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Beetles or weevils, Fungal leaf spot, Mildew, Mold, Wilt (Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant)
