Taxon: Ocimum gratissimum L.

Summary

Genus:

Ocimum

Family:

Lamiaceae (alt. Labiatae)

Subfamily:

Nepetoideae

Tribe:

Ocimeae

Subtribe:

Ociminae

Nomen number:

25483

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. 2:1197. 1753

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

06/08/1995 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

12 (5 active, 3 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Ocimum gratissimum L. subsp. gratissimum (0 active accession[s])
Ocimum gratissimum L. subsp. gratissimum var. gratissimum (4 active accession[s])
Ocimum gratissimum L. subsp. gratissimum var. macrophyllum Briq. (1 active accession[s])
Ocimum gratissimum L. subsp. iringense Ayobangira ex A. J. Paton (0 active accession[s])

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Images (2 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
Girija, T. & Tabish. Flowers of India (on-line resource).
Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Lawrence, B. M. 1992. Chemical components of Labiatae oils and their exploitation. In: Harley, R. M. & T. Reynolds, eds., Advances in labiate science 400.
Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Oyen, L. P. A. & Nguyen Xuan Dung, eds. 1999. Essential-oil plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 19:140-142.
Paton, A. 1992. A synopsis of Ocimum L. (Labiatae) in Africa. Kew Bull. 47:511.
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Vieira, R. F. et al. 2001. Genetic diversity of Ocimum gratissimum L. based on volatile oil constituents, flavonoids and RAPD markers. Biochem. Syst. & Ecol. 29:287-304.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	African basil	1	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
English	clove basil	1	Girija, T. & Tabish. Flowers of India (on-line resource).
English	East Indian basil	1	Oyen, L. P. A. & Nguyen Xuan Dung, eds. 1999. Essential-oil plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 19:140-142.
English	Russian basil	1	Lawrence, B. M. 1992. Chemical components of Labiatae oils and their exploitation. In: Harley, R. M. & T. Reynolds, eds., Advances in labiate science 400.
English	shrubby basil	1	Oyen, L. P. A. & Nguyen Xuan Dung, eds. 1999. Essential-oil plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 19:140-142.
English	tree basil	1	Girija, T. & Tabish. Flowers of India (on-line resource).
French	menthe gabonaise	2	Oyen, L. P. A. & Nguyen Xuan Dung, eds. 1999. Essential-oil plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 19:140-142.
India (Hindi)	ram tulsi	2	Girija, T. & Tabish. Flowers of India (on-line resource).
Portuguese	alfavacão	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese (Brazil)	alfavaca-de-caboclo	2	Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Spanish	albahaca de limón	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Swedish	nejlikbasilika	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Djibouti			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Eritrea			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Ethiopia			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Somalia			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Malawi			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Mozambique			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zambia			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Botswana			Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Eswatini			Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Namibia			Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Gauteng		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	KwaZulu-Natal		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Limpopo		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Mpumalanga		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	North-West		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Côte D'Ivoire			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Ghana			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Togo			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Burundi			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Gabon			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Rwanda			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Comoros			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Madagascar			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Mauritius			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Seychelles	Aldabra		Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Yemen			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Bangladesh			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Nepal			Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Sri Lanka			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Cambodia			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Laos			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Thailand			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Vietnam			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia	Jawa		Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia	Sumatera		Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
2	Cultivated					also cult. elsewhere	Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	China	China		s.	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Taiwan			Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
4	Naturalized	Africa	Macaronesia	Cabo Verde			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Benin			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea-Bissau			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	New Caledonia			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Bahia		Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Aruba			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Barbados			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominica			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominican Republic			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Grenada			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Martinique			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Montserrat			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Netherlands Antilles			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Lucia			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Vincent and Grenadines			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia			Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).

Native
Africa

NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Rwanda
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Togo
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West]
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles [Aldabra]

Asia-Temperate

ARABIAN PENINSULA: Yemen

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal
INDO-CHINA: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
MALESIA: Indonesia [Jawa, Sumatera], Malaysia

Cultivated

REGION:

Asia-Temperate

CHINA: China (s.)
EASTERN ASIA: Taiwan

Naturalized
Africa

MACARONESIA: Cabo Verde
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Guinea-Bissau

Northern America

SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave]

Pacific

SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: New Caledonia

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Grenada, St. Lucia, Montserrat, Martinique, St. Vincent and Grenadines
CENTRAL AMERICA: Panama
BRAZIL: Brazil [Bahia]
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia

Reference(s)

Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Reference
Materials	essential oils	Lawrence, B. M. 1992. Chemical components of Labiatae oils and their exploitation. In: Harley, R. M. & T. Reynolds, eds., Advances in labiate science 400.
Materials	essential oils	Oyen, L. P. A. & Nguyen Xuan Dung, eds. 1999. Essential-oil plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 19:140-142.
Medicines	folklore	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=25483. Accessed 7 May 2026.