Ocimum
Ocimum /ˈɒsɪməm/ 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 the name is from the Ancient Greek word for basil, ὤκιμον (ṓkimon). Its best known species are the cooking herb great basil, O. basilicum, and the medicinal herb tulsi (holy basil), O. tenuiflorum.
| Ocimum | |
|---|---|
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| Ocimum basilicum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Nepetoideae |
| Tribe: | Ocimeae |
| Genus: | Ocimum L.[1] |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Ecology
Ocimum species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Endoclita malabaricus.
Taxonomy
Species
Known Ocimum species include:[2]
- 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
- Ocimum × africanum Lour. - Africa, Madagascar, China, Indian Subcontinent, Indochina; naturalized in Guatemala, Chiapas, Netherlands Antilles, eastern Brazil
- Ocimum × citriodorum (O. americanum × O. basilicum) – Lemon basil
- Ocimum kilimandscharicum × basilicum '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 var. crispa (Thunb.) W.Deane (as O. crispum Thunb.)
- 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 curries and stir-fries. Lemon basil (Ocimum × citriodorum) is a hybrid between O. americanum and O. basilicum. It is noted for its lemon flavour and used in cooking.
Holy basil or tulsi (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 (O. campechianum) is a South American species often utilized in ayahuasca rituals for its smell which is said to help avoid bad visions.[3] O. centraliafricanum is valued as an indicator species for the presence of copper deposits.
See also
References
- "Genus: Ocimum L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2004-09-10. Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
- Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- Steele, John J. (2006). "Perfumeros and the Sacred Use of Fragrance in Amazonian Shamanism". In Jim Drobnick (ed.). The Smell Culture Reader. Berg Publishers. p. 230.
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