Ocimum basilicum ‘Classic Italian Basil’ SEEDS

Ocimum basilicum ‘Classic Italian Basil’ seeds grow into the classic Italian sweet basil the definitive Mediterranean culinary herb, producing large, glossy, bright green, oval leaves of intense sweet-spicy fragrance, the cornerstone of Italian cuisine from Genoa’s pesto to Neapolitan pizza margherita. Ocimum basilicum L. is sweet basil an aromatic annual of the seasonally dry tropical biome, native to tropical Asia (India, Southeast Asia) and tropical Africa, domesticated and diversified over thousands of years, reaching the Mediterranean via ancient trade routes. Described by Linnaeus (1753). The epithet basilicum comes from Greek basilikon (royal), reflecting the ancient veneration of this herb. The ‘Classic Italian’ type refers to large-leaved Genovese-type basil the culinary standard for Italian cooking. Multi-use: food, medicine, religious. Family Lamiaceae.

Full sun; fertile, moist, well-drained soils; warm conditions (sensitive to cold do not plant out until temperatures remain above 15C). Pinch flowers regularly to extend leaf harvest. Sow indoors 46 weeks before last frost. Named cultivar may NOT breed true from seed.

• ‘Classic Italian’ = Genovese-type; large glossy oval leaves; intense sweet-spicy fragrance; pesto and Neapolitan pizza
• Basilicum = royal (Greek); L. (Linnaeus); tropical Asia-Africa origin; arrived Mediterranean via ancient trade routes
• Annual; sensitive to cold (keep above 15C); pinch flowers for prolonged harvest; essential in Italian cuisine
• Genus Ocimum: ~65 species; Tropics; Family Lamiaceae; Order Lamiales
• Full sun; fertile moist soils; warm (15C+); pinch flowers; sow indoors early; named cultivar may not breed true

Ocimum basilicum ‘Classic Italian Basil’ is the herb that defines Italian summer the large-leaved Genovese-type basil whose fragrance is inseparable from the Italian kitchen, as essential in a pesto della Genovese as the cloves of garlic and the aged Parmigiano, carrying a ‘royal’ name from ancient Greece that reflects the deep respect this herb has commanded across three thousand years of Mediterranean culinary tradition.

IMPORTANT: Pictures show the adult plant, which is not for sale. The offer is only for seeds.