7366.000 Ocimum L.

BECIUM Lindl.

Description of the genus

Herbs or soft small shrubs. Leaves opposite, simple, petiolate. Inflorescence a terminal spike-like raceme. Flowers in 6-flowered whorls, bracts much smaller than the leaves. Calyx 2-lipped, 5-toothed, tube short, upper tooth much larger than the rest, broadly ovate to subrotund, 2 lateral teeth small, subulate, 2 lower teeth fused, forming an oblong emarginate or 2-toothed lip. Corolla 2-lipped, mauve to whitish, upper lip 4-lobed with ± equal lobes, lower lip spreading, concave. Stamens 4, shortly exserted. Style exserted, 2-lobed.The definition of this genus is not clear to us after the merging with Becium. This description is therefore provisional

Worldwide: 150 species in warm temperate and tropical regions, especially Africa

Botswana: 5 taxa.

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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
africanum Lour.
americanum L.N,SW,SEDescription, Image
angustifolium Benth.N,SEDescription, Image
filamentosum Forssk.Description, Image
gratissimum L. subsp. gratissimum var. gratissimum N,SW,SEDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Ocimum:

Our websites:

Flora of Caprivi: Ocimum
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Ocimum
Flora of Malawi: Ocimum
Flora of Mozambique: Ocimum
Flora of Zambia: Ocimum
Flora of Zimbabwe: Ocimum

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Ocimum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Ocimum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Ocimum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Ocimum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Ocimum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Ocimum
JSTOR Plant Science: Ocimum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Ocimum
Plants of the World Online: Ocimum
Tropicos: Ocimum
Wikipedia: Ocimum

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Botswana: Genus page: Ocimum.
https://www.botswanaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1242, retrieved 29 March 2024

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