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Ocimum basilicum
Also called Sweet basil, Thai Basil
In Singapore: Cinnamon Basil (Grown in Singapore)
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a tender culinary herb from the mint family, usually grown as an annual in temperate climates. It thrives with warmth, full sun and regular harvesting of its leaves.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum), also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a tender plant and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" refers to the variety also known as Genovese basil or sweet basil. Basil is native to tropical and subtopical Asia and Australasia from India and Sri Lanka east to southeastern China, Taiwan, and south through Southeast Asia, the Philippines, New Guinea, to northern Australia. In temperate climates basil is treated as an annual plant, but it can be grown as a short-lived perennial or biennial in warmer horticultural zones with tropical or Mediterranean climates.
There are many cultivars of basil including sweet basil, Thai basil (O. basilicum 'Thyrsiflora'), and Mrs. Burns' Lemon (O. basilicum 'Citriodorum').
Basil is native to India and other tropical and subtropical regions stretching across Southeast Asia to northern Australia, but has now become globalised due to human cultivation.
Lemon basil · American basil · Ocimum basilicum var. minimum · Least basil · African basil · Hoary basil · Holy basil · Basil
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Basil by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
