Ocimum basilicum

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Family:	LAMIACEAE
Species:	Ocimum basilicum L.
Common Name:	SWEET BASIL
Status:	Not Native, FACU (NWPL)
Specimen:	View details of USF Herbarium specimens

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Division
Class
Sub Class
Order	LAMIALES
Family	LAMIACEAE
Genus	Ocimum
Species	Ocimum basilicum L. - SWEET BASIL

Citation

Citation	OCIMUM BASILICUM Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 597. 1753.
Basionym:	**
Type:	Without data (lectotype: LINN 749.5). Lectotypified by J. K. Morton, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 58: 234. 1962.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Source

County	Herbaria	Literature Citation (If Applicable)
Miami-Dade	FTG

Synonyms

– Denotes synonyms that are applicable to the state. Show these synonyms only

Synonym	Full Citation	Basionym	Type
Ocimum basilicum var. anisatum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. anisatum Bentham, in de Candolle, Prodr. 12: 33. 1848, nom. inadmiss.	BASIONYM: Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus 1753.
Ocimum basilicum var. vulgare	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. vulgare Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 114. 1866, nom. inadmiss.	BASIONYM: Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus 1753.
Ocimum odorum	Ocimum odorum Salisbury, Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton 87. 1796, nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus 1753.
Ocimum album	Ocimum album Linnaeus, Mant. Pl. 85. 1767.		TYPE: INDIA: Cult. in Sweden, without data (lectotype: LINN 749.3). Lectotypified by Cramer, in Dassanayake & Fosberg, Rev. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 3: 116. 1981.
Ocimum americanum	Ocimum americanum Linnaeus, Cent. Pl. 1: 15. 1755.		TYPE: Without data (lectotype: LINN 749.9). Lectotypified by J. K. Morton, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 58: 234. 1962. EPITYPE: INDIA: Kerala: Without locality, 10 Nov 1972, Pushpangadan & Sobti 1 (epitype: K). Epitypified by Paton & Ptuievsky, Kew Bull. 51: 513. 1996.
Ocimum barrelieri	Ocimum barrelieri Roth, Nov. Pl. Sp. 278. 1821.
Ocimum basilicum var. album	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. album (Linnaeus) Bentham, in de Candolle, Prodr. 12: 33. 1848.	BASIONYM: Ocimum album Linnaeus 1767.
Ocimum basilicum var. bullatum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. bullatum Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 114. 1866, nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. album (Linnaeus) Bentham 1848; Ocimum bullatum Lamarck 1785, nom. illegit.; Ocimum album Linnaeus 1767.
Ocimum basilicum var. chamaeleonticum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. chamaeleonticum Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 114. 1866.
Ocimum basilicum var. densiflorum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. densiflorum Bentham, in de Candolle, Prodr. 12: 33. 1848.	BASIONYM: Ocimum barrelieri Roth 1821.
Ocimum basilicum var. difforme	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. difforme Bentham, in de Candolle, Prodr. 12: 33. 1848.
Ocimum basilicum var. glabratum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. glabratum Bentham, in de Candolle, Prodr. 12: 33. 1848.	BASIONYM: Ocimum integerrimum Willdenow 1800.
Ocimum basilicum var. majus	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. majus Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 114. 1866.
Ocimum basilicum var. majus	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. majus Bentham, in de Candolle, Prodr. 12: 33. 1848.
Ocimum basilicum var. minimum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. minimum (Linnaeus) Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 114. 1866.	BASIONYM: Ocimum minimum Linnaeus 1753.
Ocimum basilicum var. pelvifolium	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. pelvifolium Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 114. 1866.
Ocimum basilicum var. pilosum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. pilosum (Willdenow) Bentham, in de Candolle, Prodr. 12: 33. 1848.	BASIONYM: Ocimum pilosum Willdenow 1809.
Ocimum basilicum var. purpurascens	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. purpurascens Bentham, in de Candolle, Prodr. 12: 33. 1848.
Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflorum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. thyrsiflorum (Linnaeus) Bentham, Labiat. Gen. Spec. 4. 1832.	BASIONYM: Ocimum thyrsiflorum Linnaeus 1767.
Ocimum basilicum var. violaceum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. violaceum Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 114. 1866.
Ocimum basilicum var. violocrispum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. violocrispum Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 114. 1866.
Ocimum basilicum var. viridicrispum	Ocimum basilicum Linnaeus, var. viridicrispum Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 114. 1866.
Ocimum bullatum	Ocimum bullatum Lamarck, Encycl. 1: 384. 1785, nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Ocimum album Linnaeus 1767.
Ocimum caryophyllatum	Ocimum caryophyllatum Roxburgh, Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 3: 16. 1832.
Ocimum ciliatum	Ocimum ciliatum Hornemann, Hort. Bot. Hafn. 565. 1815.
Ocimum citrodorum	Ocimum citrodorum Blanco, Fl. Filip., ed. 2. 591. 1845.		TYPE: PHILIPPINES:
Ocimum dentatum	Ocimum dentatum Moench, Methodus 413. 1794.
Ocimum hispidum	Ocimum hispidum Lamarck, Encycl. 1: 384. 1785.
Ocimum integerrimum	Ocimum integerrimum Willdenow, Sp. Pl. 3: 162. 1800.
Ocimum lanceolatum	Ocimum lanceolatum Schumacher & Thonning, in Schumacher, Beskr. Guin. Pl. 268. 1827.
Ocimum medium	Ocimum medium Miller, Gard. Dict., ed. 8. 1768.
Ocimum menthifolium	Ocimum menthifolium Bentham, in de Candolle, Prodr. 12: 33. 1848.
Ocimum minimum	Ocimum minimum Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 597. 1753.		TYPE: SRI LANKA: Without data (lectotype: LINN 749.6). Lectotypified by Paton & Putievsky, Kew Bull. 51: 514. 1996.
Ocimum pilosum	Ocimum pilosum Willdenow, Enum. Pl. 629. 1809.
Ocimum thyrsiflorum	Ocimum thyrsiflorum Linnaeus, Mant. Pl. 84. 1767.		TYPE: INDIA: Without data (lectotype: LINN 749.1). Lectotypified by Paton in C. E. Jarvis et al., Taxon 50: 515. 2001.
Plectranthus barrelieri	Plectranthus barrelieri (Roth) Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 2: 691. 1825.	BASIONYM: Ocimum barrelieri Roth 1821.

Specimens

Country	State	County	Date	Specimen	Notes
USA	Illinois	Champaign Co.	10 Oct 2010	S. R. Hill 38573	CULTIVATED. Purchased locally at Lowe's
USA	Illinois	Champaign Co.	05 Aug 1996	S. R. Hill 28449	CULTIVATED.
USA	Kentucky	Madison Co.	13 Aug 1981	D. D. Taylor 1146	CULTIVATED.
Mexico	Oaxaca	San Baltazar Chichicapan Mun.	09 Sep 1990	G. Gomez s.n.	CULTIVATED.
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	07 May 1973	D. Burch 6586	CULTIVATED.
USA	Wisconsin	Winnebago Co.	29 Aug 1988	E. L. Schwartz s.n.	CULTIVATED.
USA	Texas	Dallas Co.	12 Jul 1962	L. H. Shinners 29857	CULTIVATED. Seed from Vaughan Seed Company (Chicago, Illinois), as "sweet basil", planted 10 March 1962, first blooed 23 June.
USA	South Carolina	Pickens Co.	24 Sep 1989	S. R. Hill 21107	CULTIVATED.
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	20 Aug 1973	D. Burch 6799	CULTIVATED.
Dominican Republic	Monte Cristi Prov.	San Fernando de Monte Cristi Mun.	07 Jun 1969	A. H. Liogier 15614
Mexico	Veracruz		20 Dec 1966	G. Martínez Calderón 1224
Mexico	Oaxaca	Santiago Apóstol Mun.	05 Jun 1984	G. G. Robinson 84-4-4
Mexico	Guerrero	Xochistlahuaca Mun.	Mar 1985	B. Lopez C. 85-3-4	Amuzgo name: tsco ts'oom.

Listed Status: Florida

Listed Status:	(Florida):Source - Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Chapter 5B-40, Florida Administrative Code. 1998, amended.
Endangered:	A species of plants native to the state that are in imminent danger of extinction within the state, the survival of which is unlikely if the causes of a decline in the number of plants continue, and includes all species determined to be endangered or threatened pursuant to the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Threatened:	Listed as Threatened Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Defined as species of plants native to the state that are in rapid decline in the number of plants within the state, but which have not so decreased in such number as to cause them to be endangered.

Listed Status: US

Listed Status: US	(U.S.) Source - List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Endangered:	Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened:	Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

WAP: Wetland AssessmentProcedure

Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP): Source - Southwest Florida Water Management District, Wetland Assessment Procedure Instruction Manual for Isolated Wetlands (March 2005).

AD:	Adaptive Species. Plant species designated as FAC or Upland by DEP, but commonly seen in the transition zone in limited numbers.
D:	Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the deep zone, and designated either FAC or OBL by DEP.
OD:	Outer Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the outer deep zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
T:	Transition Species. Plant species commonly found in the transition zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
U:	Upland Species. Plant species that are not expected to be seen in wetlands.

ANY - WAP critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with WAP designations
No - Show results without WAP designations

FISC: Florida Invasive Species Council

FISC:

Source - Florida Invasive Species Council's 2017 List of Florida's Most Invasive Species

Category I - Species that are invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused.

Category II - Species that have shown a potential to disrupt native plant communities. These species may become ranked as Category I, but have not yet demonstrated disruption of natural Florida communities.

DEP: Department of Environmental Protection

Wetland Status, Department of Environmental Regulation (DEP): Source - Delineation of the Landward Extent of Wetlands and Surface Waters, Chapter 62-340, Florida Administrative Code. 1994.

OBL:	Obligate wetland. Occurs almost always under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally found in non-wetlands
FAC:	Facultative. equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List

National Wetland Plant List (NWPL): Source - Lichvar, R.W., M. Butterwick, N.C. Melvin, and W.N. Kirchner. 2014. The National Wetland Plant List: 2014 Update of Wetland Ratings. Phytoneuron 2014-41: 1-42.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland. Occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative. Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).
FACU:	Facultative Upland. Usually occurs in non-wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability 1%-33%).
UPL:	Obligate Upland. Occurs in wetlands in another region, but occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in non-wetlands in the regions specified.

Persisting

Identifying species that appear as waifs or only periodically appear in the flora for a few seasons.

Any - Persisting critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with a Persisting value of Y
No - Show results without Persisting value of N

Duration

Annual:	Plants that perform their entire lifecycle within a single growing season. All roots, stems, and leaves die at the end of the growing season. Over wintering seeds allow the next generation to appear.
Biennial:	A plant that is typically vegetative its first year and blooms the following season. Once it has bloomed and set seed, the plant dies. Garlic mustard is an example of a biennial.
Perennial:	These plants live for three or more seasons. Many perennials may not be mature enough to bloom during its first year. Perennial wildflowers re-grow each season from overwinter root material.

Category

Vascular:	Any of various plants that have the vascular tissues xylem and phloem. The vascular plants include all seed-bearing plants (the gymnosperms and angiosperms) and the pteridophytes (including the ferns, lycophytes, and horsetails). Also called tracheophyte.
Bryophyte:	A large group of seedless green plants including the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Bryophytes lack the specialized tissues xylem and phloem that circulate water and dissolved nutrients in the vascular plants. Bryophytes generally live on land but are mostly found in moist environments, for they have free-swimming sperm that require water for transport. In contrast to the vascular plants, the gametophyte (haploid) generation of bryophytes constitutes the larger plant form, while the small sporophyte (diploid) generation grows on or within the gametophyte and depends upon it for nutrition.
Lichen:	The mutualistic symbiotic association of a fungus with an alga or a cyanobacterium, or both. The fungal component of a lichen absorbs water and nutrients from the surroundings and provides a suitable environment for the alga or cyanobacterium. These live protected among the dense fungal hyphae and produce carbohydrates for the fungus by photosynthesis. Owing to this partnership, lichens can thrive in harsh environments such as mountaintops and polar regions. The more familiar lichens grow slowly as crusty patches, but lichens are found in a variety of forms, such as the tall, plantlike reindeer moss. The association between the different organisms in a lichen is so close that lichens are routinely referred to as a single organism, and scientists classify lichens using the name of the fungal component.

(Definitions from: American Heritage Science Dictionary)

Growth Habit

Intro paragraph to be provided by New York.

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Shrub:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Tree:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Et cetera:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.

State Rank

This numeric rank provides the relative rarity for each species based on a scale from 1 (very rare) to 5 (common). These ranks carry no legal status.

S1 - Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state.
S2 - Typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable in the state.
S3 - Typically 21 to 100 occurrences, limited acreage, or miles of stream in the state.
S4 - Apparently secure in the state.
S5 - Demonstrably secure in the state.
SE - State exotic or non-native.
SH - Historically known from the state, but not seen in the past 15 years.
SNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. This is mainly those species which are now excluded from flora for various reasons.
SNR - Not yet ranked.
SX - Apparently extirpated from the state.

Global Rank

Each species' global rank is determined by NatureServe. These ranks carry no legal weight. The global rank reflects the species worldwide rarity.

G1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences), or very few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or especially vulnerable to extinction because of some factor of its biology.
G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G3 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G4 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
GH - Historically known, with the expectation that it might be rediscovered.
GNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. NatureServe does not typically rank hybrid species.
GNR - Not yet ranked.
GX - Species believed to be extinct.

Filter by County - Counties to Include - ANY versus ALL

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Filter by County - Counties to Exclude - ANY versus ALL

Any - An Any search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean Or. Plant species returned will not be found within at least one of the selected counties.
All - An All search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean And. Plant species returned will not be found within any of the selected counties.

Associated Ecological Communities

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Richard Wunderlin or Bruce Hansen, Alan Franck, or Karla Alvarado

Web Development: USF Water Institute

A member of the University of South Florida family of PlantAtlas.org websites

Citation Information:

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2024. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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Definition: Vouchered Specimen

A voucher specimen is a pressed and thoroughly dried plant sample deposited in a herbarium, and is intended to be a permanent record supporting research purposes. A voucher may be a record of a plant's occurrence in a particular area, or a specific example of a plant used in a scientific investigation.

Proper vouchers display all the necessary attributes for complete identification of the plant, and are to be accompanied by accurate locality, habitat, collection time, and collector data.

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