Leaf
Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Basil
Ocimum basilicum L.
Also known as: Sweet basil
Family: Lamiaceae
20 to 60 cm tall
Vegetable gardens, pot cultivation, warm climates
Flowering: July – September
Full sun
Part shade
0°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Regularly pinching out the emerging flowers prolongs the production of fragrant leaves all summer.
🍃 Leaves
Ovate, glossy leaves, bright green or purple depending on the variety, very aromatic
🌸 Flowers
Small white to slightly mauve flowers, grouped in terminal spikes
🍎 Fruits
Four small smooth achenes at the base of the calyx
🪵 Bark
Upright, square, branched herbaceous stem.
🗺️ Distribution
Native to tropical Asia; grown worldwide, very sensitive to cold.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Flower spikes much visited by honeybees and many foraging insects.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Kitchen garden, herb garden, balcony pots; an essential base of pistou and Mediterranean cooking, to be harvested all summer.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Aromatic plant widely used in cooking, with no known notable toxicity in everyday use.
🌿 Other Lamiaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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