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Basil, Wild

Botanical: Calamintha Clinopodium
Family: N.O. Labiatae

---Synonyms---Hedge Basil. Hedge Calamint.
---Habitat---The plant is widely distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone, and is common in England and Scotland in dry hedges and the borders of copses, mostly in high situations. In Ireland it is somewhat rare.


The Wild Basil, or Hedge Basil (Calamintha Clinopodium) (sometimes called Hedge Calamint), is a straggling plant with somewhat weak-looking, though erect stems, rising to a height of a foot or 18 inches, and thickly covered with soft hairs.

---Description---The shortly - stalked, egg shaped leaves, 1 to 2 inches long, are placedopposite to one another on the four-angled stem, the pairs being some distance apart. They are only slightly toothed at their edges and like the stem are downy with soft hairs.

The flowers, with tubular, lipped corollas of a pinkish colour, are arranged on the stem in several crowded, bristly rings or whorls, at the points from which the leaf-stalks spring, and are in bloom from July to September.

The whole herb is aromatic and fragrant, with a faint Thyme-like odour, and like Calamint has been used to make an infusion for similar complaints.

The name of the species, Clinopodium, signifies 'bedfoot.' An old writer says 'the tufts of the plant are like the knobs at the feet of a bed,' but the comparison is not very obvious. By some botanists the plant has been described under the name of C. vulgare, but it is now assigned to the genus, Calamintha.

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Greek Bush Basil (Ocimum basilicum minimum 'Greek') Seeds

Ararat Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Ararat') Seeds

Bush Basil (Ocimum basilicum minimum) Seeds

Greek Bush Basil (Ocimum basilicum minimum 'Greek') Seeds

Spicy Globe Basil (Ocimum basilicum minimum 'Spicy Globe')Seeds

Globette Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Globette') Seeds

Minette Basil (Ocimum basilicum minimum 'Minette') Seeds

Green Globe Basil (Ocimum basilicum minimum 'Green Globe') Seeds

Pistou Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Pistou') Seeds

Indian Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Subja')Seeds

Dark Opal Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Dark Opal') Seeds

Osmin Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Osmin')Seeds

Rosie Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Rosie') Seeds

Rubin Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Rubin') Seeds

Purple Delight Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Purple Delight') Seeds

Purple Ruffles Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Purple Ruffles') Seeds

Italian Large Leaf Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Italian Large Leaf') Seeds

Marseilles Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Marseilles') Seeds

Medinette Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Medinette') Seeds

Napoletano Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Napoletano') Seeds

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Seeds

Genovese Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Genovese') Seeds

Compatto FT Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Compatto') Seeds

Dolly Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Dolly') Seeds

Edwina Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Edwina') Seeds

Emily Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Emily') Seeds

Gecofure Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Gecofure') Seeds

Nufar F1 Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Nufar') Seeds

Marian Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Marian') Seeds

Martina Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Martina') Seeds

Envigor™ Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Envigor') Seeds

Red Genovese Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Freddy') Seeds

Superbo Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Superbo') Seeds

Magical Michael Basil (Ocimum 'Magical Michael') Seeds

Cinnamon Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Seeds

Lemon Basil (Ocimum americanum) Seeds

Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Mrs. Burns') Seeds

Sweet Dani Lemon Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Sweet Dani') Seeds

Lime Basil (Ocimum americanum)Seeds

Green Sacred Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) Seeds

Purple Sacred Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) Seeds

Oriental Breeze Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Oriental Breeze') Seeds

Spice Basil (Ocimum sp.) Seeds

Thai Basil (Ocimum sp.) Seeds

Queenette Thai Basil (Ocimum sp.) Seeds

Siam Queen Thai Basil (Ocimum sp. 'Siam Queen') Seeds

Wild Basil (Clinopodium vulgare) Seeds

Purchase PLANTS from Richters Seeds
Purple Bush Basil (Ocimum basilicum minimum 'Purple Bush') Plants

Spicy Globe Basil (Ocimum basilicum minimum 'Spicy Globe') Plants

Rubin Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Rubin') Plants

Genovese Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Genovese') Plants

African Blue Basil (Ocimum 'African Blue') Plants

African Spice™ Basil (Ocimum 'Vev701') Plants

Lesbos Basil (Ocimum 'Lesbos') Plants

Pesto Perpetuo Basil (Ocimum 'Pesto Perpetuo') Plants

Purple Sacred Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) Plants

Thai Basil (Ocimum sp.) Plants

West African Basil (Ocimum viride) Plants

Common Name Index
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Bear in mind "A Modern Herbal" was written with the conventional wisdom of the early 1900's. This should be taken into account as some of the information may now be considered inaccurate, or not in accordance with modern medicine.

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