Common Name: |
Feverplant |
Other Names: |
Camphor Basil |
Botanical Name: |
Ocimum kailimandscharicum |
Genus: |
Ocimum |
Family: |
Lamiaceae |
Native Location: |
E Africa |
Cultivation: |
Rich, light, well-drained to dry soil in sun, pH5-8. Pinch out growing tips to encourage bushiness and delay flowering. Ocimum x. citriodorum dislikes transplanting so is best sown in situ. Slugs, aphids, whitefly, spider mites, and Botrytis may attack plants. Basil is often used in companion planting because it is said to repel aphids, asparagus beetles, mites, and tomato hornworms, and to slow the growth of milkweed bugs. |
Propagation: |
By seed sown in spring at 13°C (55°F); by softwood cuttings in spring (perennials and shrubs). |
Harvest: |
Whole plants (O. americanum, O. basilicum, O. gratissimum, O. tenuiflorum) are cut just before flowering begins and dried or distilled for oil. Leaves are picked during the growing season and used fresh or juiced, or dried for infusions and decoctions. Ocimum tenuiflorum is prepared as powder adn medicated ghee. Seeds (O. americanum, O. basilicum, O. tenuiflorum) are collected when ripe and dried for decoctions. Roots are harvested and dried for decoctions. |
Height: |
1-1.2m (3-4ft) |
Width: |
60cm (2ft) |
Hardiness: |
Z10 |
Parts Used: |
Leaves, seeds |
Properties: |
An aromatic herb that lowers fever and repels insects. |
Medicinal Uses: |
Internally for malaria and other feverish infections. Leaves and seeds used to repel insects, especially mosquitoes. |
Economic Uses: |
A commercial source of camphor. |
Bibliography: |
Encyclopedia of Herbs by Deni Brown Copyright © 1995, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited. pp 290-292 |