Ocimum tenuiflorum - Holy Basil

❏ Binomial Name : Ocimum tenuiflorum L.

❏ Synonym : Ocimum sanctum,Ocimum inodorum,Ocimum hirsutum

❏ Family : Lamiaceae

❏ Common Name : Holy Basil

❏ Tamil Name : Tulsi,Nalla Thulasi

❏ Hindi Name : Vishnu thulasi

❏ IUCN status: Not Evaluated

Ocimum tenuiflorum Botanical Description

Subshrubs; branchlets hirsute with reddish-purple hairs. Leaves 1.3- 3 x 0.6-2 cm, elliptic-oblanceolate, obtuse at both ends, margin coarsely serrate, puberulous; petiole to 2 cm long, covered with reddish-purple hairs. Racemes to 11 cm long, generally simple, occasionally branched at base; pedicel c. 2 mm long. Bracts to 2 x 3 mm, suborbicular. Calyx purplish, c. 3 mm long, campanulate; lobes 5, upper lip ovate, acute, lower lip hispid without. Corolla reddish-pink, to 4 mm long, tubular-campanulate; tube c. 2 mm long, dotted with sessile oil glands; lobes of upper lip oblong-orbicular; lower lip ovate-oblong. Stamens 4; filaments villous at the base of upper pair. Nutlets c.1.5 mm long, ellipsoid, dark brown. Fl. &Fr.: Throughout the year.

Ocimum tenuiflorum Medicinal uses

❀ Leafy tops which have fragrant taste are often used as a seasoning for culinary purposes. It is also of medicinal use

❀ The leaves can be harvested during the growing season and used fresh or dried for later use

❀ The juice of the plants is used to treat insect bites and ringworm

❀ The juice is dropped into the ear to treat earaches

You can also add your pictures in this website. What you can do is send your pictures along with the information contain where and when you took to this given mail id flowersoftamilnadu@gmail.com Thank You

If you have any comments about the site or the pictures, good or bad, we'd like to hear from you. Please do comments!