Basilicum is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae (order Lamiales), containing a single known species: Basilicum polystachyon (L.) Moench. The genus was first formally described in 1802 by the German botanist Conrad Moench in his Methodus Supplementum. Despite sharing a name with the culinary herb basil (Ocimum basilicum), Basilicum is a distinct genus and should not be confused with it.
Basilicum polystachyon is a herbaceous plant with a pantropical distribution spanning sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, southern and southeastern Asia (including Saudi Arabia, India, China, Indochina, Borneo, and the Philippines), New Guinea, Australia, and numerous islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its epithet polystachyon refers to its many-spiked inflorescence, a characteristic feature of the species.
Distribution
Basilicum polystachyon, the sole species, has a wide pantropical native range encompassing sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, southern and southeastern Asia (Saudi Arabia, India, China, Indochina, Borneo, Philippines), New Guinea, Australia, and scattered islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Taxonomy Notes
Basilicum was described by Conrad Moench in 1802 (Methodus Supplementum, p. 143). It is placed in the family Lamiaceae (order Lamiales) and is monotypic, containing the single species Basilicum polystachyon (L.) Moench. The genus name resembles that of the culinary basil genus Ocimum (species O. basilicum), but the two are separate genera within Lamiaceae.
