''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.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families /ref> It is the genus of
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 k ...
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
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
...
Known ''Ocimum'' species include:
# '' Ocimum americanum'' L. (tropical
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
), 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
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 k ...
'' L. – Basil, Sweet basil - China, Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia; naturalized in Russia, Ukraine, Africa, Mexico, Central America, South America, and various oceanic islands
#'' Ocimum burchellianum'' Benth. - Cape Province of South Africa
# '' Ocimum campechianum'' Mill. – Amazonian basil - widespread across Florida, Mexico, West Indies, Central and South America
#'' Ocimum canescens'' A.J.Paton - Tanzania
#'' Ocimum carnosum'' (Spreng.) Link & Otto ex Benth. - Mexico, South America
# '' Ocimum centraliafricanum'' R.E.Fr - Zaïre, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
#'' Ocimum circinatum'' A.J.Paton - Ethiopia, Somalia
#'' Ocimum coddii'' (S.D.Williams & K.Balkwill) A.J.Paton - Northern Province of South Africa
#'' Ocimum cufodontii'' (Lanza) A.J.Paton - Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya
#'' Ocimum dambicola'' A.J.Paton - Tanzania, Zambia
#'' Ocimum decumbens'' Gürke - from Zaïre to South Africa
#'' Ocimum dhofarense'' (Sebald) A.J.Paton - Oman
#'' Ocimum dolomiticola'' A.J.Paton - Northern Province of South Africa
#'' Ocimum ellenbeckii'' Gürke - Ethiopia, Zaïre
#'' Ocimum empetroides'' (P.A.Duvign.) ined. - Zaïre
#'' Ocimum ericoides'' (P.A.Duvign. & Plancke) A.J.Paton - Zaïre
#'' Ocimum filamentosum'' Forssk. - eastern + southern Africa, Arabian Peninsula, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar
#'' Ocimum fimbriatum'' Briq. - central Africa
#'' Ocimum fischeri'' Gürke - Kenya, Tanzania
#'' Ocimum formosum'' Gürke - Bale Province of Ethiopia
#'' Ocimum forskolei'' Benth. - eastern Africa from Egypt to Kenya, Angola, Arabian Peninsula
#'' Ocimum fruticosum'' (Ryding) A.J.Paton - Somalia
#'' Ocimum grandiflorum'' Lam. - Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia
#''
Ocimum gratissimum
''Ocimum gratissimum'', also known as clove basil, African basil, and in Hawaii as wild basil,Ocimum hirsutissimum'' (P.A.Duvign.) A.J.Paton - Zaïre
#'' Ocimum irvinei'' J.K.Morton - West Africa
#'' Ocimum jamesii'' Sebald - Ethiopia, Somalia
#'' Ocimum kenyense'' Ayob. ex A.J.Paton - Kenya, Tanzania
# ''
Ocimum kilimandscharicum
''Ocimum kilimandscharicum'', also known as camphor basil, is a basil species native to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, and Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officia ...
'' Baker ex Gürke – Camphor basil - Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia; naturalized in Angola, India, Myanmar, Thailand
#'' Ocimum labiatum'' (N.E.Br.) A.J.Paton - Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini
#'' Ocimum lamiifolium'' Hochst. ex Benth - eastern + central Africa
#'' Ocimum masaiense'' Ayob. ex A.J.Paton - Ngong Hills in Kenya
#'' Ocimum mearnsii'' (Ayob. ex Sebald) A.J.Paton - Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
#'' Ocimum metallorum'' (P.A.Duvign.) A.J.Paton - Zaïre
# '' Ocimum minimum'' L. - India, Sri Lanka
#'' Ocimum minutiflorum'' (Sebald) A.J.Paton - eastern + central Africa
#'' Ocimum mitwabense'' (Ayob.) A.J.Paton - Zaïre
#'' Ocimum monocotyloides'' (Plancke ex Ayob.) A.J.Paton - Zaïre
#'' Ocimum motjaneanum'' McCallum & K.Balkwill - Eswatini
#'' Ocimum natalense'' Ayob. ex A.J.Paton - Mozambique, KwaZulu-Natal
#'' Ocimum nudicaule'' Benth. - Brazil, Paraguay, Misiones Province of Argentina
#'' Ocimum nummularia'' (S.Moore) A.J.Paton - Somalia
#'' Ocimum obovatum'' E.Mey. ex Benth. - tropical Africa, Madagascar
#'' Ocimum ovatum'' Benth. - Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina
#'' Ocimum pseudoserratum'' (M.R.Ashby) A.J.Paton - Northern Province of South Africa
#'' Ocimum pyramidatum'' (A.J.Paton) A.J.Paton - Tanzania
#'' Ocimum reclinatum'' (S.D.Williams & M.Balkwill) A.J.Paton - Mozambique, KwaZulu-Natal
#'' Ocimum serpyllifolium'' Forssk. - Somalia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia
#'' Ocimum serratum'' (Schltr.) A.J.Paton - South Africa, Eswatini
#'' Ocimum somaliense'' Briq. - Ethiopia
#'' Ocimum spectabile'' (Gürke) A.J.Paton - Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia
#'' Ocimum spicatum'' Deflers - Ethiopia, Yemen, Kenya, Somalia
#'' Ocimum tenuiflorum'' L. – Holy basil, tulsi - China, Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Queensland; naturalized in Kenya, Fiji, French Polynesia, West Indies, Venezuela
#'' Ocimum transamazonicum'' C.Pereira - Brazil
#'' Ocimum tubiforme'' (R.D.Good) A.J.Paton - Northern Province of South Africa
#'' Ocimum urundense'' Robyns & Lebrun - Burundi, Tanzania
#'' Ocimum vandenbrandei'' (P.A.Duvign. & Plancke ex Ayob.) A.J.Paton - Marungu Province in Zaïre
#'' Ocimum vanderystii'' (De Wild.) A.W.Hill. - Zaïre, Congo-Brazzaville, Angola, Zambia
#'' Ocimum viphyense'' A.J.Paton - Malawi, Zambia
#'' Ocimum waterbergense'' (S.D.Williams & K.Balkwill) A.J.Paton - Northern Province of South Africa
Hybrids
*'' Ocimum × africanum'' Lour. - Africa, Madagascar, China, Indian Subcontinent, Indochina; naturalized in Guatemala, Chiapas, Netherlands Antilles, eastern Brazil
*'' Ocimum × citriodorum'' (''O. americanum'' × ''O. basilicum'') – Lemon basil
*''Ocimum kilimandscharicum'' × ''basilicum'' ' Dark Opal' –
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 ...
Formerly placed here
*''
Basilicum polystachyon
''Basilicum'' is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae, first described in 1802. It contains only one known species, ''Basilicum polystachyon'', native to Africa, Madagascar, southern Asia ( Saudi Arabia, India, China, Indochina, Borneo ...
Mosla scabra
''Mosla'' is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae, first described as a genus in 1875. It is native to eastern Asia, the Himalayas, and southeastern Asia.
;Species
# '' Mosla bracteata'' Doan ex Suddee & A.J.Paton - Vietnam
# '' Mosla caval ...
Most culinary and ornamental basils are cultivars of ''
Ocimum basilicum
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 k ...
'' and there are many hybrids between species.
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 p ...
(''O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora'') is a common ingredient in
Thai cuisine
Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand.
Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai ...
, with a strong flavour similar to
aniseed
Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia.
The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and t ...
Lemon basil
Lemon basil, hoary basil, Thai lemon basil, or Lao basil,Dorothy Culloty (''Ocimum'' × ''africanum'') is a hybrid between basil ('' Ocimum basilicum'') and American basil ('' Ocimum americanum''). The herb is grown primarily in northeastern ...
(''Ocimum × citriodorum'') is a hybrid between ''O. americanum'' and ''O. basilicum''. It is noted for its
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...
flavour and used in cooking.
Holy basil or ''tulsi'' ('' O. tenuiflorum'') is a sacred herb revered as dear to
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
in some sects of
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
. ''Tulsi'' is used in teas, healing remedies, and cosmetics in India, and it is also used in Thai cooking. Amazonian basil ('' O. campechianum'') is a South American species often utilized in
ayahuasca
AyahuascaPronounced as in the UK and in the US. Also occasionally known in English as ''ayaguasca'' ( Spanish-derived), ''aioasca'' (Brazilian Portuguese-derived), or as ''yagé'', pronounced or . Etymologically, all forms but ''yagé'' desce ...
rituals for its smell which is said to help avoid bad visions. '' O. centraliafricanum'' is valued as an indicator species for the presence of copper deposits.
See also
*
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 ...