Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbs
Origin
Northwestern United States, California, Canada
Europe, Middle Africa, Southern Africa, Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia
Types
Stock, Tenweeks stock, Gillyflower, Brompton Stock
Basil, African blue basil
Number of Varieties
7560
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds
-
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-99-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
11-1
Sunset Zone
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
Upright/Erect
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
38.10 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.30 cm15.20 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Blue, Lavender, Blue Violet
Burgandy, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Purple, Bronze
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Purple, Bronze
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Purple, Bronze
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblanceolate , Ovate
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering
Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic
Neutral
Soil Type
Sandy
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
-
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Don't prune in the fall, Prune regularly
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
-
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
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
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
-
Allergy
-
Respiratory problems, Runny nose, Skin rash, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antidote, Aphrodisiac, Expectorant, Stomachic
Cough, Cramps, Digestive disorders, Insomnia, Skin Disorders, Vomiting
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Seedpod
Leaves
Other Uses
Used as a dye
Air freshner, Can be made into a herbal tea, Used As Food, Used as a spice
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
-
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
Matthiola incana
Ocimum tenuiflorum
Common Name
Blue Thimble Flower, Field Gilia, Gillyflower
Basil
In Hindi
gillyflower
तुलसी
In German
Garten-Levkoje
Basilikum
In French
Gillyflower
basilic
In Spanish
Gillyflower
albahaca
In Greek
Gillyflower
βασιλικός
In Portuguese
Matthiola incana
manjericão
In Polish
Gillyflower
bazylia
In Latin
Matthiola incana
ocimum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Capparales
Lamiales
Family
Polemoniaceae
Lamiaceae
Genus
Gilia
Ocimum
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Asterids
Tribe
Gilieae
-
Subfamily
Polemonioideae
-
Number of Species
2560
1
27800
👆🏻