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Greek basil

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MikeHardman

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Greek basil
« on: November 05, 2011, 09:52:17 PM »
Greek basil. You know - the upright perennial one, with slightly smaller and stouter leaves than the short-lived culinary one.
Yes, I know it is very common, but I wonder if anybody could tell me the proper name for it. I get lots of mixed info from web sites.
Perhaps Ocimum basilicum × citriodorum 'Greek Columnar' ?
Most of my plants are shy flowerers, but one has begun colouring-up and metamorphosing at the top (the one that gets the most light) - see piccy taken today.
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Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England
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ritamax

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Re: Greek basil
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2012, 01:03:25 PM »
That is so pretty! Never seen that one before!
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Hobbygardener (MGS member) with a rooftop garden in Basel and a garden on heavy clay with sand 600m from seaside in Costa Blanca South (precipitation 300mm), learning to garden waterwise
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MikeHardman

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    • www.mikehardman.com
Re: Greek basil
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2012, 01:39:41 PM »
Glad you like it :)
Unfortunately, I shall not see that one again - since it died (along with all my other basils) during last winter's chills :(
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Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England
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John

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Re: Greek basil
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2012, 02:46:16 PM »
I am perhaps wrong but I thought that Greek basil had small rounded leaves, green with no purple blush and was very bushy, nothing like the plant you have here?
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John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.
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John

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Re: Greek basil
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2012, 02:47:31 PM »
Perhaps having re-read your posting you aren't saying that the picture is Greek basil?
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John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.
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JTh

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Re: Greek basil
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2012, 07:25:39 PM »
John, I suppose you are referring to the small-leaved basils, like ‘Fino verde’  or other similar globe basils. The one that Mike has, which he calls Greek basil, sounds like Greek columnar basil, Ocimum x africanum (synonym O. x citrodorum) ‘Lesbos’, which is perennial and very heat tolerant, I have often seen it for sale in nurseries near us.
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Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.
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John

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Re: Greek basil
« Reply #6 on: November 10, 2012, 08:02:37 PM »
I've fished out an old photograph (slide) from about 20 years ago when it was a popular plant in London for cooking with. Perhaps not rounded leaves but certainly small and very densely bushy. This was always referred to as Greek Basil which may of course have been wrong!
« Last Edit: November 10, 2012, 08:04:22 PM by John »
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John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.
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