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 PlantFamilies Its best known species are the cooking herb 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 The genus was first published by Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum on page 597 in 1753.
The genus name of Ocimum is derived from the Ancient Greek word for basil, ().
Species Accepted Ocimum species by Plants of the World Online, and World Flora Online;
Ocimum albostellatum Ocimum americanum L. tropical Africa, Indian subcontinent, China, southeast Asia Ocimum amicorum A.J.Paton - Tanzania Ocimum angustifolium Benth. - southeastern Africa from Kenya to Tranasvaal Ocimum basilicum L. – (Basil, Sweet basil) - China, Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia Ocimum burchellianum Benth. - Cape Province of South Africa Ocimum campechianum Mill. – Amazonian basil - 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 - 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 L. – African basil - Africa, Madagascar, southern Asia, Bismarck Archipelago 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 Baker ex Gürke – (Camphor basil) - Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia Ocimum labiatum (N.E.Br.) A.J.Paton - Mozambique, South Africa, 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 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, 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 sebrabergensis Ocimum serpyllifolium Forssk. - Somalia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia Ocimum serratum (Schltr.) A.J.Paton - South Africa, Eswatini 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 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 - Zaïre Ocimum vanderystii (De Wild.) A.W.Hill. - Zaïre, Congo, Angola, Zambia Ocimum verticillifolium 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
Formerly placed here Basilicum polystachyon (L.) Moench (as O. polystachyon L.) Isodon inflexus (Thunb.) Kudô (as O. inflexum Thunb.) Frankenia salina (Molina) I.M.Johnst. (as O. salinum Molina) Mosla scabra (Thunb.) C.Y.Wu & H.W.Li (as O. punctulatum J.F.Gmel. and O. scabrum Thunb.) Orthosiphon aristatus (Blume) Miq. (as O. aristatum Blume) Orthosiphon pallidus (as O. somaliense Briq.) Perilla frutescens var. crispa (Thunb.) W.Deane (as O. crispum Thunb.) Perilla frutescens var. frutescens (as O. frutescens L.) Plectranthus scutellarioides (L.) R.Br. (as O. scutellarioides L.)
Cultivation and uses Most culinary and ornamental basils are cultivars of Ocimum basilicum and there are many hybrids between species. Thai basil (O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora) is a common ingredient in Thai cuisine, with a strong flavour similar to aniseed, used to flavour Thai curries and stir-fries. Lemon basil (Ocimum × citriodorum) is a hybrid between O. americanum and O. basilicum. It is noted for its lemon flavour and used in cooking.
Holy basil or tulsi (O. tenuiflorum) is a sacred herb revered as dear to Vishnu in some sects of Vaishnavism. 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 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
References