Sweet basil is an herb in the Lamiaceae (mint) family and native to the tropical regions of Africa and Asia. Thai and Genovese basil are cultivars of this plant. The fragrant edible leaves are great in soups, stews, and other meat dishes. Sweet basil prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soils. It can be grown from seed or is easily transplanted and should be done so after the last frost. Prune by pinching the tips of long stems and any flower buds. This promotes a branching, bushy form. Sweet basil cultivars with showy purple foliage are often used as ornamentals and are perfect for containers. Plant in a bed or window box to create contrasting colored foliage. Miniature varieties are also available, which are great for mass plantings along the edge of flower beds. Click here to see a calendar of planting schedules, time-to-harvest, and recommended spacing. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Aphids and Japanese beetles are occasional insect problems. Fusarium wilt and basil downy mildew are disease problems. There are several cultivars that are resistant to basil downy mildew. Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers from across the state of North Carolina conducted a trial of resistance to basil downy mildew and leaf flavor. They evaluated plant performance and taste using the cultivar 'Genovese' as the standard of reference. They found clear winners that were resistant to basil downy mildew and performed well in the garden and in the kitchen. The top cultivars were: ‘Prospera’ – This cultivar was the overall favorite among the mildew-resistant cultivars. Because of its taller stature, it required staking in some gardens, and some volunteers reported stems breaking during storms. ‘Rutgers Passion’ – This cultivar performed well in terms of its color, aroma, plant vigor, and good branching habit. ‘Rutgers Obsession’ – This cultivar was highly rated for its color and compact growth habit. It exhibited strong resistance to basil downy mildew and was the highest rated variety in taste tests. For more information about the basil trials click here . VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'ocimum-basilicum'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 59-attribute toolbox scrape.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Similar, less problematicOcimum kilimandscharicum x basilicum
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Annual; Edible; Herb; Herbaceous Perennial
Life cycle
Annual; Perennial
USDA zones
10a, 10b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 4 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 4 in. - 1 ft. 2 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green; Purple/Lavender; Variegated; White
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Edible; Fragrant
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are bright green and are attached directly to the base of the stem. Simple leaves and opposite in arrangement at right angles to each other. Ovate in shape with smooth margins and slight bulging between the veins. 1/2"-3" in length. Very fragrant. Ornamental varieties may have purple or variegated leaves.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Edible; Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Lipped
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The small white flowers are lipped in shape. They are arranged in whorled racemes with bracts at the base. Some ornamental varieties have spikes of showy purple flowers. Blooms in late summer.
Bloom time
Summer
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
Stem is thin and hollow and has a branching tendency. The cross-section is square in shape.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Tropical Africa and Asia
Play value
Fragrance
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves; Flowers
Edibility
Leaves and flowers in tea, as flavoring
Uses (ethnobotany)
Plant tops can be used to make green and yellow dyes.