Erythrochlamys

''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 Plant Families
/ref> It is the genus of basil and the name is from the Ancient Greek word for basil, (). Its best known species are the cooking herb Ocimum basilicum, great basil, ''O. basilicum'', and the medicinal herb Ocimum tenuiflorum, ''tulsi'' (holy basil), ''O. tenuiflorum''.

Ecology

''Ocimum'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including ''Endoclita, Endoclita malabaricus''.

Taxonomy

Species

Known ''Ocimum'' species include:
# ''Ocimum americanum'' L. (tropical Africa), Indian Subcontinent, China, Southeast Asia; naturalized in Queensland, Christmas Island, and parts of tropical America
#''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; naturalized in Russia, Ukraine, Africa, Mexico, Central America, South America, and various oceanic islands
#''Ocimum burchellianum'' Benth. - Cape Province of South Africa
# ''Ocimum campechianum'' Mill. – Amazonian basil - widespread across 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 - Bale Province of 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; naturalized in Polynesia, Mexico, Panama, West Indies, Brazil, Bolivia
#''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; naturalized in Angola, India, Myanmar, Thailand
#''Ocimum labiatum'' (N.E.Br.) A.J.Paton - Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini
#''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 minimum'' L. - India, Sri Lanka
#''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, Misiones Province of 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 serpyllifolium'' Forssk. - Somalia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia
#''Ocimum serratum'' (Schltr.) A.J.Paton - South Africa, Eswatini
#''Ocimum somaliense'' Briq. - Ethiopia
#''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; naturalized in Kenya, Fiji, French Polynesia, West Indies, Venezuela
#''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 - Marungu Province in Zaïre
#''Ocimum vanderystii'' (De Wild.) A.W.Hill. - Zaïre, Congo-Brazzaville, Angola, Zambia
#''Ocimum viphyense'' A.J.Paton - Malawi, Zambia
#''Ocimum waterbergense'' (S.D.Williams & K.Balkwill) A.J.Paton - Northern Province of South Africa

Hybrids

*''Lemon basil, Ocimum × africanum'' Lour. - Africa, Madagascar, China, Indian Subcontinent, Indochina; naturalized in Guatemala, Chiapas, Netherlands Antilles, eastern Brazil
*''Lemon basil, Ocimum × citriodorum'' (''O. americanum'' × ''O. basilicum'') – Lemon basil
*''Ocimum kilimandscharicum'' × ''basilicum'' 'Dark opal basil, 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)
*Perilla frutescens, ''Perilla frutescens'' var. ''crispa'' (Thunb.) W.Deane (as ''O. crispum'' Thunb.)
*Perilla frutescens, ''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 curry, Thai curries and stir-fries. Lemon basil (''Ocimum × citriodorum'') is a Hybrid (biology), hybrid between ''O. americanum'' and ''O. basilicum''. It is noted for its lemon flavour and used in cooking.

Holy basil or ''tulsi'' (''Ocimum tenuiflorum, 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 (''Ocimum campechianum, O. campechianum'') is a South American species often utilized in ayahuasca rituals for its smell which is said to help avoid bad visions. ''Ocimum centraliafricanum, O. centraliafricanum'' is valued as an indicator species for the presence of copper deposits.

See also

* List of basil cultivars

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q148818

Ocimum,
Herbs
Lamiaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus