Oatmeal Farm Network | Basil Varieties

Variety Name	Description
African Blue Basil	A sterile hybrid basil with beautiful, purple-veined leaves and a strong, camphor-like flavor. Often used as an ornamental or in teas.
African Blue Basil	A sterile hybrid with beautiful purple-veined leaves. It has a strong, camphor-like scent and is used more for its aroma and appearance.
Aristotle Basil	A fragrant culinary herb from the mint family, celebrated for its sweet, peppery leaves in Italian and Southeast Asian dishes.
Basil (Dried)	The first semi-erect, thornless cultivar released; known for its early ripening, good yield, and sweet, medium-sized berries.
Basil (Dried)	Dried basil leaves. The flavor is very different from fresh—more minty and grassy—but is a common pantry staple.
Basil (Frozen)	Fresh basil leaves that are chopped (often with a little oil) and frozen. Preserves the fresh flavor far better than drying.
Basil Mint	A BASIC interpreter is interpreter software that enables users to enter and run programs in the BASIC language and was, for the first part of the microcomputer era, the default application that computers would launch. Users were expected to use the BASIC interpreter to type in programs or to load programs from storage.
Cardinal Basil	George Basil Hume was an English Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1976 until his death in 1999. A member of the Benedictines, he was made a cardinal in 1977.
Cardinal Basil	A variety with bright green leaves and striking, deep red-purple flower bracts. It has a classic, spicy basil flavor.
Cinnamon Basil	A variety with a spicy, fragrant aroma and flavor of cinnamon. Often used in teas, baked goods, and with fruit.
Cinnamon Basil	Cinnamon basil is a type of basil. The term "cinnamon basil" can refer to a number of different varieties of basil, including as a synonym for Thai basil, as a particular cultivar of Thai basil, and as a separate cultivar in its own right. This article discusses the latter type.
Clove Basil	A highly aromatic basil variety with a strong clove scent and flavor, often used in teas and desserts.
Dark Opal Basil	Dark opal basil is a cultivar of Ocimum basilicum, developed by John Scarchuk and Joseph Lent at the University of Connecticut in the 1950s. With deep purple, sometimes mottled leaves, it is grown as much for its decorative appeal as for its culinary value. Dark opal basil was a 1962 winner of the All-American Selection award.
Emerald Tower Basil	A fragrant culinary herb from the mint family, celebrated for its sweet, peppery leaves in Italian and Southeast Asian dishes.
Feverfew	Tanacetum parthenium, known as feverfew, is a flowering plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It may be grown as an ornament, and may be identified by its synonyms, Chrysanthemum parthenium and Pyrethrum parthenium. Having its origin in the Balkans region, it is now distributed worldwide.
Genovese Basil	The classic Italian sweet basil cultivar, ideal for pesto.
Genovese Basil	The classic Italian basil (Ocimum basilicum), with large, sweet, and slightly peppery leaves. The definitive choice for pesto.
Greek Basil	A fragrant culinary herb from the mint family, celebrated for its sweet, peppery leaves in Italian and Southeast Asian dishes.
Greek Basil (Globe)	A compact, bush-forming basil with tiny leaves. Has a classic, spicy basil flavor and is great for garnishes or containers.
Greek Yevani Basil	A compact, bush-like basil with small leaves and a spicy, pungent flavor. A very popular cultivar in Greece.
Holy Basil (Tulsi)	A pungent, peppery basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) with notes of anise. Revered in India and essential in some Thai dishes like pad krapow.
Holy Basil (Tulsi)	An aromatic herb with medicinal and culinary uses, known for its pungent, peppery, and clove-like flavor.
Honeybush	Honeybush — a food ingredient.
Horapha Basil	A type of Thai basil with a spicier, more pronounced licorice flavor and aroma.
Iceland Moss	Cetraria islandica, also known as true Iceland lichen or Iceland moss, is an Arctic-alpine lichen whose erect or upright, leaflike habit gives it the appearance of a moss, where its name likely comes from.
Kudzu	Kudzu, also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot, is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands. It is invasive in many parts of the world, primarily North America.
Lemon Basil	A variety with a bright, intense, "lemony" scent and flavor. Excellent with fish, in vinaigrettes, or with grilled vegetables.
Lemon Basil	A hybrid (Ocimum × citriodorum) with a distinct, strong lemon scent and flavor. Excellent with fish, in salads, and for desserts.
Lettuce Leaf Basil	Lettuce leaf basil is a large-leaf variety of Ocimum basilicum. The large, crinkled leaves, which grow on the short, wide plant, are sweet, but not as strong as other sweet basils. This makes them particularly suitable for tossing into salads or wrapping fish, chicken or a rice stuffing for grilling.
Licorice Basil	A cultivar with a strong, pronounced licorice or anise flavor, often used in desserts and teas.
Magic Michael Basil	A fragrant culinary herb from the mint family, celebrated for its sweet, peppery leaves in Italian and Southeast Asian dishes.
Mammoth Basil	Mammoth basil is a lettuce leaf basil variety, originating from Italy. Like many culinary basils, it is a cultivar of Ocimum basilicum. The plant grows to approximately 18 inches tall, and produces large ruffled leaves with a jagged edge. The flavor is similar to, but stronger than the flavor of Genovese basil. The leaves are used in pesto or whole, in salads.
Minette Basil	A fragrant culinary herb from the mint family, celebrated for its sweet, peppery leaves in Italian and Southeast Asian dishes.
Napoletano Basil	A fragrant culinary herb from the mint family, celebrated for its sweet, peppery leaves in Italian and Southeast Asian dishes.
Napolitano Basil	A sweet basil cultivar with very large, ruffled leaves and a strong, complex flavor.
Osmin Purple Basil	Grape juice, purple, with added vitamin C, from concentrate, shelf stable [USDA FDC: 2003592]
Perpetual Basil	A pyramid scheme is a business model which, rather than earning money by sale of legitimate products to an end consumer, mainly earns money by recruiting new members with the promise of payments. As the number of members multiplies, recruiting quickly becomes increasingly difficult until it is impossible, and therefore most of the newer recruits do not make a profit. As such, pyramid schemes are unsustainable.
Pesto (Basil Sauce)	A thick, green sauce originating in Genoa, Italy, made from crushed garlic, pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and hard cheese (like Parmigiano-Reggiano), all blended with olive oil.
Pesto (Genovese)	The classic sauce made from Genovese basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.
Pesto Perpetuo Basil	A non-flowering, columnar variety with creamy-white variegated leaves, prized for consistent, tender growth.
Piccolino Basil	A fragrant culinary herb from the mint family, celebrated for its sweet, peppery leaves in Italian and Southeast Asian dishes.
Piccolo Basil	A compact, dwarf cultivar of sweet basil with small leaves, known for its intense flavor.
Pistou Basil	A fragrant culinary herb from the mint family, celebrated for its sweet, peppery leaves in Italian and Southeast Asian dishes.
Purple Basil (Dark Opal)	A variety with deep purple leaves, offering a milder, slightly spicier flavor than sweet basil. Adds striking color to salads and vinegars.
Purple Basil (e.g., 'Dark Opal')	A basil cultivar with deep purple, almost black leaves. Has a milder, slightly spicier flavor. Used for color in salads and vinegars.
Red Leaf Basil	A general term for any dark purple-red leaf cultivar, prized for its color and intense, clove-like aroma.
Siam Queen Basil	A fragrant culinary herb from the mint family, celebrated for its sweet, peppery leaves in Italian and Southeast Asian dishes.
Spicy Bush Basil	A compact cultivar that forms a dense, neat globe, known for its intense, peppery flavor.
Spicy Globe Basil	Spicy globe basil is a cultivar of Ocimum basilicum. Unlike some better known basils, it grows in the form of a tidy, compact bush, more suitable for gardens and small pots than most varieties. The small, densely growing leaves are used in the same way as the leaves of other sweet basil varieties.
Summerlong Basil	A fragrant culinary herb from the mint family, celebrated for its sweet, peppery leaves in Italian and Southeast Asian dishes.
Sweet Basil	Sweet Basil — a food ingredient.
Sweet Basil	The most common, all-purpose basil with a sweet, clove-like aroma. Used in a wide variety of dishes, especially Italian.
Sweet Basil (Genovese)	The classic, large-leaf Italian basil used for pesto. Sweet, aromatic, and slightly peppery.
Thai Basil	Thai basil is a type of basil native to, and widely used throughout, Southeast Asia that has been cultivated to provide distinctive traits. Its flavor is described as anise- and licorice-like and slightly spicy. It is more stable under high or extended cooking temperatures than sweet basil. Thai basil has small, narrow leaves, purple stems, and pink-purple flowers.
Thai Basil	A variety (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora) with smaller, sturdy leaves and a distinct, spicy, anise-clove flavor that holds up well to cooking.