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Basil
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 sweet basil or Genovese basil. Basil is native to tropical regions from Central Africa to Southeast Asia. In temperate climates basil is treated as an annual plant, however, basil can be grown as a short-lived perennial or biennial in warmer horticultural zones with tropical or Mediterranean climates. There are many varieties of basil including sweet basil, Thai basil (''O. basilicum'' var. ''thyrsiflora''), and Mrs. Burns' Lemon (''O. basilicum var. citriodora''). ''O. basilicum'' can cross-pollinate with other species of the ''Ocimum'' genus, producing hybrids such as lemon basil (''O. × citriodorum'') and African blue basil (''O. × kilimandscharicum''). Etymology The name "basil" comes from the Latin , and the ...
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List Of Basil Cultivars
Basil cultivars are cultivated varieties of basil. They are used in a variety of ways: as culinary herbs, landscape plants, healing herbs, teas, and worship implements. All true basils are species of the genus '' Ocimum''. The genus is particularly diverse, and includes annuals, non-woody perennials and shrubs native to Africa and other tropical and subtropical regions of the Old and New World. Although it is estimated that there are 50 to 150 species of basil, most, but not all, culinary basils are cultivars of ''O. basilicum'', or sweet basil. Some are cultivars of other basil species, and others are hybrids. It is particularly challenging to determine which species a basil belongs to. This is because basil cross-breeds easily, and drawing boundaries between species is particularly difficult. In fact, recent studies have led to reclassification of some portions of the genus. Basil cultivars vary in several ways. Visually, the size and shape of the leaves varies greatly, fro ...
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Basilisk
In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk ( or ) is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes. According to the ''Naturalis Historia'' of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyrene is a small snake, "being not more than twelve inches in length", that is so venomous, it leaves a wide trail of deadly venom in its wake, and its gaze is likewise lethal. The basilisk's weakness is the odor of the weasel, which, according to Pliny, was thrown into the basilisk's hole, recognizable because some of the surrounding shrubs and grass had been scorched by its presence. It is possible that the legend of the basilisk and its association with the weasel in Europe was inspired by accounts of certain species of Asiatic snakes (such as the king cobra) and their natural predator, the mongoose. Etymology The word originates from the Greek form ''basilískos'' ( el, βασιλίσκος; la, basiliscus), which means "little king", "li ...
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Thai Basil
Thai basil ( th, โหระพา, , ISO: hōraphā, ; km, ជីរនាងវង, ''chi neang vorng''; vi, húng quế) called ''káu-chàn-thah'' () in Taiwan, is a type of basil native to Southeast Asia that has been cultivated to provide distinctive traits. Widely used throughout Southeast Asia, its flavor, described as anise- and licorice-like and slightly spicy, is more stable under high or extended cooking temperatures than that of sweet basil. Thai basil has small, narrow leaves, purple stems, and pink-purple flowers. Taxonomy and nomenclature Sweet basil (''Ocimum basilicum'') has multiple cultivars — Thai basil, ''O. basilicum'' var. ''thyrsiflora'', is one variety. Thai basil may sometimes be called chi neang vorng, ''anise basil'' or ''licorice basil'', in reference to its anise- and licorice-like scent and taste, but it is different from the Western strains bearing these same names. Occasionally, Thai basil may be called ''cinnamon basil'', which is its ...
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Ocimum Basilicum Desiccated 5145~2016 01 03
''Ocimum'' is a genus of aromatic annual and perennial herbs and shrubs in the family Lamiaceae, native to the tropical and warm temperate regions of all 6 inhabited continents, with the greatest number of species in Africa. It is the genus of basil and the name is from the Ancient Greek word for basil, (). Its best known species are the cooking herb great basil, ''O. basilicum'', and the medicinal herb ''tulsi'' (holy basil), ''O. tenuiflorum''. Ecology ''Ocimum'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including '' Endoclita malabaricus''. Taxonomy Species Known ''Ocimum'' species include: # '' Ocimum americanum'' L. (tropical Africa), Indian Subcontinent, China, Southeast Asia; naturalized in Queensland, Christmas Island, and parts of tropical America #''Ocimum amicorum'' A.J.Paton - Tanzania #''Ocimum angustifolium'' Benth. - southeastern Africa from Kenya to Tranasvaal # ''Ocimum basilicum'' L. – Basil, Sweet basil - China, ...
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Lemon Basil
Lemon basil, hoary basil, Thai lemon basil, or Lao basil,Dorothy Culloty (''Ocimum'' × ''africanum'') is a Hybrid (biology), hybrid between basil (''Ocimum basilicum'') and American basil (''Ocimum americanum''). The herb is grown primarily in northeastern Africa and southern Asia for its fragrant lemon scent, and is used in cooking. Lemon basil stems can grow to tall. It has white flowers in late summer to early fall. The leaf, leaves are similar to basil leaves, but tend to be narrower with slightly serrated edges. Seeds form on the plant after flowering and dry on the plant. Lemon basil is a popular herb in Arabic cuisine, Arabic, Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian, Philippines, Lao cuisine, Lao, Malay cuisine, Malay, Persian cuisine, Persian and Thai cuisine. Culinary uses In Lao cuisine, (where it is called ''pak i tou'',) lemon basil is used extensively in soups, stews, curries and stir-fried dishes as it is the most commonly used type of basil in Laos. Many Lao stews requ ...
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Western Cuisine
European cuisine comprises the cuisines of Europe "European Cuisine."Europeword.com
. Accessed July 2011.
including the cuisines brought to other countries by European settlers and colonists. Sometimes the term "European", or more specifically "continental" cuisine, is used to refer more strictly to the cuisine of the western parts of Europe.
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African Blue Basil
African blue basil ('' Ocimum kilimandscharicum'' × ''basilicum'' ' Dark Opal') is a hybrid basil variety, a cross between camphor basil and dark opal basil. It is one of a few types of basil that are perennial. African blue basil plants are sterile, unable to produce seeds of their own, and can only be propagated by cuttings. This particular breed of basil has a strong camphor scent, inherited from ''Ocimum kilimandscharicum'' (camphor basil), Gives as its source '' Econ Bot'' 28:63 (1974). its East African parent. The concentration of camphor is 22% (compared with 61% for ''O. kilimandscharicum''). The concentration of the other major aroma compounds, linalool (55%), and 1,8-cineole (15%) is comparable to many basil cultivars."Basil: A Source of Aroma Compounds and a Popular Culinary and Ornamental Herb" reprinted from: ''Perspectives on new crops and new uses'' (1999), ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA, . All parts of the flower, leaves and stems are edible; although some migh ...
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Lamiaceae
The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, lavender, and perilla, as well as other medicinal herbs such as catnip, salvia, bee balm, wild dagga, and oriental motherwort. Some species are shrubs, trees (such as teak), or, rarely, vines. Many members of the family are widely cultivated, not only for their aromatic qualities, but also their ease of cultivation, since they are readily propagated by stem cuttings. Besides those grown for their edible leaves, some are grown for decorative foliage. Others are grown for seed, such as '' Salvia hispanica'' (chia), or for their edible tubers, such as '' Plectranthus edulis'', '' Plectranthus esculentus'', ''Plectranthus rotundifolius'', and ''Stachys affinis'' (Chinese artichoke). Many are al ...
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Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and north-west of mainland Australia. Southeast Asia is bordered to the north by East Asia, to the west by South Asia and the Bay of Bengal, to the east by Oceania and the Pacific Ocean, and to the south by Australia (continent), Australia and the Indian Ocean. Apart from the British Indian Ocean Territory and two out of atolls of Maldives, 26 atolls of Maldives in South Asia, Maritime Southeast Asia is the only other subregion of Asia that lies partly within the Southern Hemisphere. Mainland Southeast Asia is completely in the Northern Hemisphere. East Timor and the southern portion of Indonesia are the only parts that are south of the Equator. Th ...
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Cross-pollination
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, and bats; water; wind; and even plants themselves, when self-pollination occurs within a closed flower. Pollination often occurs within a species. When pollination occurs between species, it can produce hybrid offspring in nature and in plant breeding work. In angiosperms, after the pollen grain (gametophyte) has landed on the stigma, it germinates and develops a pollen tube which grows down the style until it reaches an ovary. Its two gametes travel down the tube to where the gametophyte(s) containing the female gametes are held within the carpel. After entering an ovum cell through the micropyle, one male nucleus fuses with the polar bodies to produce the endosperm tissues, while the other fuses with the ovule to produce the embryo. ...
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Hybrid (biology)
In biology, a hybrid is the offspring resulting from combining the qualities of two organisms of different breeds, varieties, species or genera through sexual reproduction. Hybrids are not always intermediates between their parents (such as in blending inheritance), but can show hybrid vigor, sometimes growing larger or taller than either parent. The concept of a hybrid is interpreted differently in animal and plant breeding, where there is interest in the individual parentage. In genetics, attention is focused on the numbers of chromosomes. In taxonomy, a key question is how closely related the parent species are. Species are reproductively isolated by strong barriers to hybridisation, which include genetic and morphological differences, differing times of fertility, mating behaviors and cues, and physiological rejection of sperm cells or the developing embryo. Some act before fertilization and others after it. Similar barriers exist in plants, with differences in floweri ...
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Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organisms. He is known as the "father of modern taxonomy". Many of his writings were in Latin; his name is rendered in Latin as and, after his 1761 ennoblement, as . Linnaeus was born in Råshult, the countryside of Småland, in southern Sweden. He received most of his higher education at Uppsala University and began giving lectures in botany there in 1730. He lived abroad between 1735 and 1738, where he studied and also published the first edition of his ' in the Netherlands. He then returned to Sweden where he became professor of medicine and botany at Uppsala. In the 1740s, he was sent on several journeys through Sweden to find and classify plants and animals. In the 1750s and 1760s, he continued to coll ...
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