Dark Opal Basil Ocimum basilicum seed

LATIN NAME: Ocimum basilicum

COMMON NAME: Dark Opal Basil

Dark opal basil is the purple one, the showpiece of the herb bed. The neat, upright, aromatic, annual plant carries the broad, glossy, deep-purple leaves and the short spikes of the small, pinkish flowers through the summer, and the whole plant gives the fine, rich, spicy-sweet scent of the good basil. The leaves are a fine, bold presence of the kitchen garden, the pot and the salad bowl, giving the colour and the flavour together. It is a plant of the open, sunny, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Dark opal basil is a bold, aromatic subject of the plant science, studied for the deep-purple leaves and the chemistry of the scent. The breeding of the purple basils for the colour and the flavour has been examined closely, and it keeps showing up in the work on the culinary herbs, the aromatic plants and the members of the mint family. The short spikes of the small flowers and the neat, upright habit have also made it a fine garden plant, and dark opal basil is a regular subject of the studies of the coloured herbs of the kitchen garden.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Dark opal basil is a bold, generous plant of the kitchen garden and the pot. The broad, glossy, deep-purple leaves are torn into the salads, the pastas and the pestos, giving the fine, rich, spicy-sweet flavour and the deep colour together, and the plant is one of the fine choices for the herb bed, the window box and the container. The purple leaves also carry the good looks of the border, holding their colour through the warm season. It has been written about in the culinary and the horticultural papers for the purple leaves and the rich flavour, and it is a fine, easy plant of the open, sunny, well-drained garden.

Dark opal basil is one of the showpiece herbs of the kitchen garden, and the broad, glossy, deep-purple leaves carry the fine, rich, spicy-sweet flavour. The leaves keep their deep colour through the warm season, torn into the salads and the pestos.

To grow dark opal basil from seed, sow the small, round seeds a little below the surface of a pot of moist, free-draining soil, keep the pot in a warm, bright spot and water gently, then pinch the young plants to keep them bushy. The seedlings come through within a week and grow on fast. With the sun, the warmth and the well-drained ground, the purple leaves will be ready for the bowl through the warm season.

Dark purplish-bronze foliage. Excellent for seasoning, and for basil vinegar which turns a beautiful red colour. Former All-American award winner, famous for its pure dark purple foliage, but in recent years it has become about 25% green.