Ocimum tenuiflorum (holy basil)

Japanese name: ホーリーバジル
Scientific name: Ocimum tenuiflorum

[Overview]
A perennial about 30–60 cm tall.
It is not cold-hardy, so in Japan it is treated as an annual.
The whole plant is often tinged with purple.
The stem has 4 ridges and is hairy.
Leaves are simple and opposite, ovate, about 5 cm long, with low serrations.
Spike-like whorled inflorescences are produced at the stem tips.
The flowers are two-lipped with 4 lobes, and purple or white.
The seeds are black, and when they absorb water they become covered with a jelly-like substance and swell.

[Uses]
The whole plant is fragrant, and the leaves are used fresh or dried, mainly in Thai cooking.
In Ayurveda it is used medicinally, as an essential oil, and as herbal tea.
In Hinduism it is also used as a sacred plant in worship and other rites.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, slightly moist, fertile soil.
It is tolerant of heat and weak against dryness.
Water thoroughly when the soil surface begins to dry.
In addition to a base fertilizer, apply slow-release fertilizer once a month or give liquid fertilizer once a week.
When growing from seed, it needs light to germinate, so sow in seed-starting soil without covering the seeds with soil, and water from the bottom so the soil does not dry out.
A temperature of about 20°C is needed for germination.
Pests and diseases include aphids, spider mites and cutworms.
If the branches become crowded, the plant becomes stuffy and disease may occur.

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