From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Genus of flowering plants
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.
[2] It is the genus of
basil and its best known species are the cooking herb
great 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 .[
citation needed ]
Taxonomy
The genus was first published by
Carl Linnaeus in his book
Species Plantarum on page 597 in 1753.
[3]
The genus name of Ocimum is derived from the
Ancient Greek word for basil, ὤκιμον (ṓkimon ).
[4]
Species
Accepted Ocimum species by
Plants of the World Online ,
[3] and
World Flora Online ;
[5]
Ocimum albostellatum (Verdc.) A.J.Paton
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 Swanepoel & van Jaarsv.
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 Baker
Ocimum viphyense A.J.Paton - Malawi, Zambia
Ocimum waterbergense (S.D.Williams & K.Balkwill) A.J.Paton - Northern Province of South Africa
Hybrids
Formerly placed here
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.[
citation needed ]
Lemon basil (Ocimum × citriodorum ) is a
hybrid between O. americanum and O. basilicum . It is noted for its
lemon flavour and used in cooking.[
citation needed ]
Holy basil or tulsi (
O. tenuiflorum ) is a sacred herb revered as dear to
Vishnu in some sects of
Vaishnavism .[
citation needed ] Tulsi is used in teas, healing remedies, and cosmetics in India, and it is also used in Thai cooking.[
citation needed ] 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.
[6]
O. centraliafricanum is valued as an
indicator species for the presence of copper deposits.[
citation needed ]
See also
References