African Blue basil

Infobox Cultivar | name = African blue basil


hybrid = "Ocimum kilimandscharicum" x "basilicum" 'Dark Opal'
cultivar =
origin = Peter Borchard, Companion Plants, Athens, Ohio, 1983

African Blue basil ("Ocimum kilimandscharicum" x "basilicum" 'Dark Opal') is one of the most cold-tolerant breeds of basil, leading to it being called a perennial, though in fact all basils are perennial as long as the weather is warm year-round. It is a sterile hybrid of two other breeds of basil, unable to produce seeds of its own, and is propagated by cuttings.cite news | title = PLANT OF THE WEEK: African blue basil; There's a new basil on the (foggy San Francisco) block | author = Pam Peirce, Special to The Chronicle | date = Saturday, July 23, 2005 | pages = F-7 | work = San Francisco Chronicle | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/07/23/HOG7FDQRSK1.DTL ]

This particular breed of basil has a strong camphor scent, derived from "Ocimum kilimandscharicum" (camphor basil [cite web | title = "Ocimum kilimandscharicum" Baker ex Gürke | url = http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?25484 | work = GRIN Gives as its source "Econ Bot" 28:63 (1974).] ), its East African parent. The concentration of camphor is 22% (compared with 61% for "O. kilimandscharicum"). The concentration of the other major aroma compounds, linalool (55%), and 1,8-cineole (15%) is comparable to many basil cultivars.aut|J. Janick (ed.), James E. Simon, Mario R. Morales, Winthrop B. Phippen, Roberto Fontes Vieira, and Zhigang Hao, [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1999/pdf/v4-499.pdf "Basil: A Source of Aroma Compounds and a Popular Culinary and Ornamental Herb"] , reprinted from: "Perspectives on new crops and new uses" (1999), ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA, ISBN 978-0961502706.]

The leaves of African Blue basil start out purple when young, only growing green as the given leaf grows to its full size, and even then retaining purple veins. Based on other purple basils, the purple color is from anthocyanins, especially cyanidin-3-(di-p-coumarylglucoside)-5-glucoside but also other cyanidin based and peonidin based compounds.

This breed is also taller than many basil cultivars.

ee also

* List of basil cultivars

References