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'). Ocimum basilicum can cross-pollinate with other species in the genus Ocimum, producing hybrids such as lemon basil (O. × africanum) and African blue basil (O. × kilimandscharicum).
Description
Timelapse of growing basil
Desiccated basil showing seed dispersal
Basil is an annual, or sometimes perennial, herb. Depending on the variety, plants can reach heights of between 30 and 150 centimetres (1 and 5 feet). Basil leaves are glossy and ovate, with smooth or slightly toothed edges that typically cup slightly; the leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the square stems. The leaves are usually green, but can be purple in some cultivars such as 'Purple Ruffles'. Its flowers are small and white, and grow from a central inflorescence, or spike, that emerges from the central stem atop the plant. Unusual among Lamiaceae, the four stamens and the pistil are not pushed under the upper lip of the corolla, but lie over the inferior lip. After entomophilous pollination, the corolla falls off and four round achenes develop inside the bilabiate calyx.
The various basils have such distinct scents because the volatile aromatic compounds vary with cultivars. The...
