Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Herbs
Flowering Plants
Origin
-
South America
Types
Ocimum americanum
Portulaca grandiflora
Number of Varieties
2050
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
-
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-115-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
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
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
Habit
Clump-Forming
Prostrate/Trailing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.50 cm10.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.50 cm20.30 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Tan
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Needle like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Allow soil to be completely dry in between waterings, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Well drained
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Shearing
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Requires high amount of nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Downy mildew, Dry root rot, Fusarium wilt, Gray mold, Japanese Beetles
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Semi-Double
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Aphids, Beetles, Leaf Hoppers, Nematodes
Butterflies
Allergy
Hives, Itchiness, Rash, Swelling
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Borders, Used for decorating walls, fences, gates, hedges, etc.
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Skin Problems
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Low calories, Manganese, Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin K
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling
Part of Plant Used
Leaf Stalks, Leaves
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant
Other Uses
Added to salads, Powdered and mixed with tea, Used in tea, wine and sweet dishes, Used to flavour soups
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border
Cottage garden, Edible
Botanical Name
OCIMUM x citriodorum
PORTULACA grandiflora
Common Name
Lemon Basil
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca
In Hindi
नींबू तुलसी
Portulaca
In German
Limonenbasilikum
Portulak
In French
citron basilic
portulaca
In Spanish
Ocimum × citriodorum
Portulaca
In Greek
λεμόνι βασιλικός
Portulaca
In Portuguese
manjericão limão
Portulaca
In Polish
Bazylia cytrynowa
Portulaca
In Latin
lemon Basilius
Portulaca
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Caryophyllales
Family
Lamiaceae
Portulacaceae
Genus
Ocimum
Portulaca
Clade
Asterids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
1691
1
27800
👆🏻