Ocimum americanum L. is a plant in the Lamiaceae family, order Lamiales, kingdom Plantae. Not known to be toxic.

Photo of Ocimum americanum L. (Ocimum americanum L.)
🌿 Plantae

Ocimum americanum L.

Ocimum americanum L.

Ocimum americanum L. is an aromatic hairy annual herb used culinarily, for essential oil, and for its medicinal properties.

Family
Genus
Ocimum
Order
Lamiales
Class
Magnoliopsida

About Ocimum americanum L.

Ocimum americanum L. is a hairy annual herbaceous plant. It grows up to 40 centimeters tall, with toothed leaves arranged in opposite pairs. Its small flowers, which are either white or purple, grow in clusters. This species has a long taproot that reaches deep into soil. The entire plant is strongly aromatic, with a scent similar to citrus. Because of this aroma, it can be used for culinary purposes in the same ways as sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). It is also harvested for essential oil, whose scent is a natural blend of the scent of lime peels and the scent of O. basilicum. This plant also has medicinal properties.

Photo: (c) Wolf-Achim and Hanna Roland, all rights reserved, uploaded by Wolf-Achim and Hanna Roland

Taxonomy

Plantae Tracheophyta Magnoliopsida Lamiales Lamiaceae Ocimum

More from Lamiaceae

Sources: GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, NCBI Taxonomy · Disclaimer

Identify Ocimum americanum L. instantly — even offline

iNature uses on-device AI to identify plants, animals, fungi and more. No internet needed.

Download iNature — Free

Start Exploring Nature Today

Download iNature for free. 10 identifications on us. No account needed. No credit card required.

Download Free on App Store