Basil

(Clinopodium vulgare)

 

Color photograph: Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Basil (Clinopodium vulgare)

Identification: Flowers pink to violet. Lower petal lobe strongly bilobed, upper petal lobe rooflike. Calyx with elongate teeth and covered in white hair. Flowers arranged in tight clusters within the leaf axils, up and down the stem. Stem square. Leaves ovate, heavily veined, with with nearly smooth outer margins. Plant with a distinctive aroma when crushed. Plant 9 to 18 inches in height.

Distribution: Throughout southern Canada and the northeastern United States, southward to North Carolina and Arkansas. Also found in scattered localities in western North America.

Habitat: Basil is found in a variety of habitats including woods, lake and river shores, and along roadsides.

Flowering period: June to September.

Basil (Clinopodium vulgare)

Similar Species:

The flower clusters with their white, hairy bracts, and the nearly untoothed leaves are distinctive features of Basil.

Similar Species

No Similar Species