I.C. Hedge

Annual or perennial shrubby herbs, strongly and pleasantly aromatic. Stems much branched, with eglandular spreading or retrorse simple hairs. Leaves not divided, shortly petiolate, densely gland-dotted on both surfaces, ovate or ovate-oblong, subentire or crenulate. Inflorescence of terminal and lateral elongated or condensed racemes; verticillasters 6-10-flowered. Bracts clearly different from leaves, small, deciduous. Pedicels terete or flattened, spreading or adpressed to inflorescence/infructescence axis and apically recurved. Calyx ovoid-campanulate, somewhat enlarged and deflexed or not in fruit, 10-nerved, bilabiate; uppermost lobe much broader than others, decurrent on tube; lateral teeth 2, ovate; lower teeth 2, narrow lanceolate-acuminate, upwardly curved in fruit; tube glabrous within or densely villous. Corolla bilabiate; upper lip subequally 4-lobed; lower lip entire, flat, spreading. Stamens 4, exserted, didynamous; thecae unilocular, glabrous. Style bifid. Nutlets finely rugulose, oblong-ellipsoid; apically rounded, glabrous, mucilaginous on wetting.

A mainly tropical genus; some species are commonly grown for their aromatic fragrance, or as culinary or medicinal herbs. Specific limits in many species are far from clear. Only 1 of our species seems to be native, O. americanum.

Lower Taxa

• Ocimum americanum L.
• Ocimum basilicum L.
• Ocimum tenuiflorum L.

Related Synonym(s):

• Geniosporum tenuiflorum (L.) Merr. = Ocimum tenuiflorum L.
• Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflorum (L.) Bench. = Ocimum basilicum L.
• Ocimum canum Sims = Ocimum americanum L.
• Ocimum sanctum L. = Ocimum tenuiflorum L.
• Ocimum thyrsiflorum L. = Ocimum basilicum L.