Cinnamon Basil Ocimum basilicum

LATIN NAME: Ocimum basilicum

COMMON NAME: Cinnamon Basil

The cinnamon basil holds its small, white flowers above the scented, reddish stems, and the oval, glossy, aromatic leaves clothe the whole plant. The upright, bushy, annual herb carries the oval, glossy, bright-green leaves with the reddish stems and veins and the whorled spikes of the small, white or pale-pink flowers through the summer, one of the fine, generous sights of the herb garden, drawing the bees. The leaves have a long record as the fine, sweet-scented herb of the warm kitchens, with the hint of the cinnamon in the scent, and the plant is a fine, historic presence of the herb garden. It is a plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The cinnamon basil is a historic subject of the plant science, and the aromatic leaves keep showing up in the work on the sweet basils. The chemistry of the oval, glossy leaves, which carry the fine, sweet oils with the hint of the cinnamon, has been studied closely, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the sweet basils, the aromatic herbs and the members of the mint family. The reddish stems and the bushy habit have also made it a fine study plant, and the cinnamon basil is a regular subject of the work on the scented leaves of the warm world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The cinnamon basil is a fine, generous herb of the herb garden and the warm kitchen. The oval, glossy, bright-green leaves with the reddish stems and veins have a long record as the fine, sweet-scented herb of the warm kitchens, the fresh leaves coming to the salads, the sauces, the teas and the sweet dishes of the old tables, carrying the hint of the cinnamon, while the whorled spikes of the small, white or pale-pink flowers open through the summer, drawing the bees. It is one of the fine choices for the herb garden, the pot and the study collection, and it has been written up in the culinary and the botanical papers for the scented leaves and the very long history. It is a fine, generous herb of the open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden.

Give the young plants the deep, rich bed, and the scented leaves will fill the first warm season.

To grow the cinnamon basil from seed, sow the small, round seeds just below the surface of the pot of rich, gritty soil, keep the pot in a warm, bright spot and water gently, then set the young plants out after the last frosts. The seedlings are up within a week or two and grow on fast. With the sun and the deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground, the scented leaves will fill the warm season.

Growth habit is similar to that of regular sweet basil, with a distinctive cinnamon taste and odour. Mexicans like to place a vase of fresh cut herb on the dinner table to ward off insects. Curiously, they do not seem to use it much in cuisine, despite its superb flavour. Deserves experimentation