Ocimum basilicum Seeds | Cinnamon Basil
LATIN NAME: Ocimum basilicum
COMMON NAME: Cinnamon Basil
Plant Profile
Cinnamon Basil (Ocimum basilicum) grows as an upright, bushy, annual in the mint family. Cinnamon basil holds its small, white flowers above scented, reddish stems, and oval, glossy, aromatic leaves clothe the whole plant. It is a plant of open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground. It is hard to name another plant that gives this much for this little trouble.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Ocimum basilicum, a representative of the mint family with clear practical value. It retains a following among breeders and collectors, which keeps seed stocks in circulation.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Cinnamon Basil for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Cinnamon basil is a fine, generous herb of herb garden and warm kitchen. It is a fine, generous herb of open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden. Give young plants deep, rich bed, and scented leaves will fill the first warm season. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
Basil is the royal herb: sweet basil perfumes the world’s kitchens, while holy basil, tulsi, is Ayurveda’s most revered adaptogen tea, studied for stress and metabolic support. Basil’s eugenol and linalool give the genus genuine antimicrobial chemistry.
Growing from Seed
Raising Cinnamon Basil from seed is straightforward. Scatter the seed evenly over a loose seed compost, cover to no more than its own depth, and keep the pot moist and bright. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
It is a solid representative of the Ocimum group, true to type from seed. The only critical period is germination, when the compost must stay evenly moist.
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