''Ocimum americanum'', known as American basil, lime basil, or hoary basil, is a species of annual herb in the family

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

. Despite the misleading name, it is native to Africa, the Indian Subcontinent,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, and Southeast Asia. The species is naturalized in Queensland, Christmas Island, and parts of tropical America.

Description and uses

It is a hairy annual herbaceous plant that grows up to 40 cm tall, with toothed, opposite leaves and small, white or purple flowers in clusters. The plant has a long taproot that extends deep into the ground. The entire plant is highly aromatic, with an odor comparable to citrus. As such, it can be used for culinary purposes in similar ways to sweet basil (O. basilicum). It is also used for essential oil and is often considered indistinguishable from the closely related ''O. basilicum'' by some. The plant has medicinal properties as well.

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americanum This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help those unfamiliar with classical languages to understand and remember the scientific names of organisms. The binomial nomenclature used for animals and plants i ...

Plants described in 1755 Flora of Africa Flora of Asia Medicinal plants Herbs Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Lamiaceae-stub