Ocimum tenuiflorum: Uses (Ethnobotany)
A plant used in the Hindu religion and Ayurvedic medicine to cleanse the body, and for stomach and skin issues.
Plant Profile: Ocimum tenuiflorum
Taxonomy: Ocimum tenuiflorumNames
Holy Basil, Hot Basil, Tulasi, Tulsi
Phonetic Spelling:
Genus:Ocimum
Species:tenuiflorum
Family:Lamiaceae
Holy Basil, belonging to the mint family, is a fragrant annual or short-lived perennial plant. It originates from the tropical and subtropical areas of Southern Asia. While it is closely related to culinary basil, Holy Basil features smaller flowers and has a shorter lifespan.
Ocimum tenuiflorum Feature Summary
Ocimum tenuiflorum Image Gallery
Tags
#fragrant
#purple leaves
#fragrant leaves
#salt tolerant
#herb garden
Similar Plants
Ocimum tenuiflorum is often confused with:
Ocimum tenuiflorum Feature Summary
Attributes
A plant used in the Hindu religion and Ayurvedic medicine to cleanse the body, and for stomach and skin issues.
Southeast Asia
A culinary herb especially in Asia used in the same ways as Sweet Basil though it is commonly cooked or used in teas rather than used raw. Fragrant leaves have a spicy bite that is a mix of clove, mint, and basil flavor.
Perennial
Annual
Fruit
Purple-green to brown smooth to slightly pitted elliptical nutlets 0.8-1.2 mm long with numerous seeds inside.
Nut
Green
Brown/Copper
Purple/Lavender
< 1 inch
< 1 inch
Flowers
White, pale pink or lavender in terminal panicles or racemes that are 4-12 cm long.
Pink
Purple/Lavender
White
Raceme
Panicle
Leaves
Pungently fragrant pubescent leaves are simple, elliptic to oblong with serrate to entire margins. Leaves are 1.5 to 3 inches long and .5 inches wide. Hairs are on both sides but especially on veins on the underside.
Green
Simple
Opposite
Elliptical
Oblong
Entire
Serrate
1-3 inches
Fragrant
< 1 inch
Stem
Pubescent square stems
Green
Square
Hairy (pubescent)
Whole Plant Traits
Annual
Edible
Herbaceous Perennial
Herb
Multi-stemmed
Cultural Conditions
Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Landscape
Edible Garden
Ocimum tenuiflorum Image Gallery
Ocimum tenuiflorum Attributes
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Country Or Region Of Origin
Southeast Asia
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Edibility
A culinary herb especially in Asia used in the same ways as Sweet Basil though it is commonly cooked or used in teas rather than used raw. Fragrant leaves have a spicy bite that is a mix of clove, mint, and basil flavor.
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Recommended Propagation Strategy
Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting
Ocimum tenuiflorum Fruit
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Fruit Description
Purple-green to brown smooth to slightly pitted elliptical nutlets 0.8-1.2 mm long with numerous seeds inside.
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Fruit Type
Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Fruit Color
Brown/Copper
Green
Purple/Lavender
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Fruit Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Fruit Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches
Ocimum tenuiflorum Flowers
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Flower Description
White, pale pink or lavender in terminal panicles or racemes that are 4-12 cm long.
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Flower Color
Pink
Purple/Lavender
White
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Flower Inflorescence
Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel
Ocimum tenuiflorum Leaves
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Leaf Description
Pungently fragrant pubescent leaves are simple, elliptic to oblong with serrate to entire margins. Leaves are 1.5 to 3 inches long and .5 inches wide. Hairs are on both sides but especially on veins on the underside.
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Leaf Color
Green
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Leaf Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Leaf Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Ocimum tenuiflorum Stem
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Stem Description
Pubescent square stems
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Stem Color
Green
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Stem Cross Section
Angular
Oval
Round
Square
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Stem Surface
Corky Ridges
Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
Dull
Hairy (pubescent)
Polished
Smooth (glabrous)
Ocimum tenuiflorum Whole Plant Traits
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Ocimum tenuiflorum Cultural Conditions
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Ocimum tenuiflorum Landscape
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Landscape Theme
Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden
Ocimum tenuiflorum: Resistance To Challenges
Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind
