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Ocimum basilicum var. minimum

In Singapore: Cinnamon Basil (Grown in Singapore)

Ocimum basilicum var. minimum
Photo: FocalPoint, CC BY-SA 3.0

Greek basil is a small-leaved variety of basil (Ocimum basilicum var. minimum), grown as an annual herb. It needs warmth, sun and regular harvesting, and suits both garden beds and containers.

Family
Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Light
Full sun
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist and water at the base, letting the top layer dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, fertile potting mix or garden soil.
Temperature
18–30 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Edible
Yes, some parts

About

Greek basil (UK: , US: ; Ocimum basilicum var. minimum) is a flowering herb and cultivar of basil.

How to grow it

Annual herbs can be planted in the garden in spring. Annual herbs are also ideal for containers. Pots can be brought indoors for the winter and placed near a sunny window for harvesting through the cold months. Return the plants outdoors in the spring when the danger of frost is past, or simply replace with fresh plants.

Uses

The Chinese also use fresh or dried basils in soups and other foods. In Taiwan, people add fresh basil leaves to thick soups. They also eat fried chicken with deep-fried basil leaves. Basil (most commonly Thai basil) is commonly steeped in cream or milk to create an interesting flavor in ice cream or chocolates (such as truffles). The leaves are not the only part of basil used in culinary applications, the flower buds have a more subtle flavor and they are edible.

Other Ocimum plants

Lemon basil · American basil · Basil · 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 Ocimum basilicum var. minimum 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.

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