Description of Basil

The information that follows is excerpted from a longer post:  The Ultimate Guide to Basil.  For additional information about Basil such as cultivation, medicinal and culinary uses, or its uses through history, please click HERE to access the complete original post.  Other individual sections are listed below:

Cultivation

Harvesting and Storage

History, Lore and Magic

Culinary Uses

Medicinal Uses

Sweet and Purple Basil

Basil is a member of the mint family, Labiatae.   It is an annual plant with leafy stems that give it a bushy appearance.  Its stems are slightly hairy, finely ridged and square.  They have many branching stems and the stems range in color from a bright light green to reddish at the base. 

Baby Basil

The leaves of basil grow in sets of two, opposite each other.  They are generally large, slightly toothed, oval, and somewhat pointed.  I think they look a little "puffy".  They curve inward slightly along the midrib and are generally about 2 to 3 inches long.  For the most part, basil leaves are bright green in color.  Leaf color on some basil ranges from yellow-green to dark green, depending on soil fertility.  On some varieties, such as Dark Opal Basil, the leaves are dark reddish-purple.  On Holy Basil, the leaves graduate from bright green at the bottom to a deep purple-pink near the flower stalks.  The leaves also possess the highest concentration of volatile oils and have a warm yet fresh, strong, clove-like scent.

My Sweet Basil Flower

Basil flowers are quite pretty and are edible.  Generally, they are white and about 1/2 inch long.  They are two-lipped and the upper lip has 4 lobes and 4 stamens in racemes at the tops of stems.  Basil usually flowers in July and August, and can extend into September and October in warmer climates.  These flowers produce seeds that are dark brown, faceted and tear-shaped, that are about 1/16 of an inch long.

Basil Seeds

Typical height of a basil plant is around 18 inches, but the ones in my garden have achieved 2 feet tall.

My Purple Basil Plant (2016 Season)

I hope this helps you to identify basil plants in your garden and at the store.  Please leave any questions or comments in the area below!

Peace and Love Always,

Basil in a Wooden Bowl

Sources:

"Basil". En.wikipedia.org. N. p., 2017. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.

"Basil". Whfoods.com. N. p., 2017. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.

"Basil: Health Benefits And Nutritional Information". Medical News Today. N. p., 2016. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.

Bremness, Leslie. RD Home Handbook: Herbs. Pleasantville: Reader's Digest Association, 1990. Print.

Brown, Deni. The Herb Society of America Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1995. Print.

Clevely, Andi, and Katherine Richmond. The Complete Book of Herbs. New York: Smithmark, 1994. Print.

Cunnningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1992. Print.

Gips, Kathleen. Flora's Dictionary: The Victorian Language of Herbs and Flowers . Chagrin Falls: TM Publications, 1995. Print.

Kowalchik, Claire, and William H. Hylton, eds. Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs . Emmaus: Rodale, 1987. Print.

Shaudys, Phyllis. The Pleasure of Herbs. Pownal: Storey Communications, 1986. Print.

Photo Credits:

Description of Basil Header Image:  Photo Credit:  bunch of basil lie on a wooden table background by tanacha

Sweet and Purple Basil:  Photo Credit:  basil leaves background by jonnysek

Basil Sprig on Description Graphic:  Photo Credit:  Angela Fox-Thompson

Baby Basil:   Photo credit: ^Ren via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-ND

Basil Flower:  Photo Credit:  Angela Fox-Thompson

Basil Seeds:   Photo credit: John and Anni via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA

My Purple Basil:  Photo Credit:  Angela Fox-Thompson

Basil in Wooden Bowl:  Photo Credit:  Bunch of fresh basil on the vintage table by nolonely

Description of Basil Header Image:  Photo Credit:  bunch of basil lie on a wooden table background by tanacha