About

Ocimum gratissimum is a species of basil in the mint family Lamiaceae and part of the genus Ocimum. It produces its flowers from July to October. Plants are valued for their aromatic leaves and are handled like other culinary basils in cultivation. Mature stems bear the characteristic spike flowers during the summer and early autumn months.

About the genus

Ocimum 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. Its best known species are the cooking herb basil, O. basilicum, and the medicinal herb tulsi , O.

Wikipedia contributors, "Ocimum", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Ocimum

In the garden

Ocimum gratissimum is a basil species in the family Lamiaceae and the genus Ocimum, flowering in the UK from July to October. As a member of the basil group it follows the seasonal pattern of leaf growth before and during its flowering run; the summer flower period is the key moment for seed set and for deciding whether to harvest or allow blooms to develop. Treat it as you would other culinary basils: place where it receives plenty of light and where air circulates. A free-draining, cultivated soil suits container or bed culture alike; containers give the most control over moisture and allow plants to be moved away from cold spells. In cooler months bring containers under cover or keep plants in a frost-free space to avoid damage. Use it in herb beds, on patios or in greenhouses where its summer flowers can be observed from July to October. Regular pinching of growing tips before flowering encourages leaf production, while removing flower spikes once blooms appear redirects energy back to foliage. That timing — pinching before or during the July to October flush — is the simplest way to prioritise leaf harvest over seed production.