Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Herbs
Shrubs, Spurge
Origin
-
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Types
Ocimum americanum
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Number of Varieties
20170
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
-
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-11-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
-
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.50 cm200.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.50 cm400.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Tan
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Palmately Lobed
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
All year
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Dry, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Slightly Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
All year
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Allow soil to be completely dry in between waterings, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Needs less watering, Water occasionally
In Summer
Lots of watering
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Less Watering
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
Downy mildew, Dry root rot, Fusarium wilt, Gray mold, Japanese Beetles
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Drought and Salt, Heat Tolerance
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Aphids, Beetles, Leaf Hoppers, Nematodes
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies
Allergy
Hives, Itchiness, Rash, Swelling
allergic conjunctivitis, Eye irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Borders, Used for decorating walls, fences, gates, hedges, etc.
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin and hair, Removes pimples, Skin inflammation, Skin irritation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Insect Repellent, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Suppresses or replaces native plants, Versatility
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Low calories, Manganese, Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin K
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
Part of Plant Used
Leaf Stalks, Leaves
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Added to salads, Powdered and mixed with tea, Used in tea, wine and sweet dishes, Used to flavour soups
Oil is used as fuel, Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used in biomass
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
OCIMUM x citriodorum
JATROPHA
Common Name
Lemon Basil
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
In Hindi
नींबू तुलसी
रतनजोत
In German
Limonenbasilikum
Purgiernuß
In French
citron basilic
purghère
In Spanish
Ocimum × citriodorum
frailejón
In Greek
λεμόνι βασιλικός
jatropha
In Portuguese
manjericão limão
galamaluco
In Polish
Bazylia cytrynowa
jatrofa
In Latin
lemon Basilius
Jatropha
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Euphorbiales
Family
Lamiaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Genus
Ocimum
Jatropha
Clade
Asterids
Dicotyledonous
Tribe
-
Jatropheae
Subfamily
-
Crotonoideae
Number of Species
169170
1
27800
👆🏻