Characteristics:

Belonging to the mint family, Wild Basil has a square stem that is ascending to erect and is unbranched or few branched with dense hairs along it. Egg shaped leaves attach opposite and are 1-2 ½ “ long and 1” wide. Leaves are rounded at the base and are toothless to shallowly toothed on the edges with fine hairs on both surfaces. They have short stem attachments and are fragrant when crushed. The flowers for dense half-spherical clusters of up to 30 flowers in a whorled pattern around the top of the plant- only a few flowers open at a time. Each flower is around ½ inch long in the tubular mint flower fashion with the upper lip notched into 2 sections and the bottom lip notched into 3 sections with the middle notch being the largest and somewhat ruffled. Short hairs are found between the lower lobes and extend into the tubular flower as well as on the outer surfaces of the flower. 4 Stamens found within flower, but barely extend out of tube. Flowers range from rose-pink-purple-lavender to nearly white and extend from a green to purple calyx that is densely haired with awl-shaped lobes.Plants can spread by seed and form colonies via rhizomes like most mints. (MBG)

Wild basil is tolerant of a wide variety of growing conditions but prefers medium, well draining soil and full to part sun. It can grow in semi-shaded woodlands and is an important host and pollinator species for bees, butterflies and moths. Often found on woodland edges, semi-shaded woods, prairies & in meadows.

Etymology:

Clinopodium comes from two greek words (klínē) meaning bed and pódion meaning little foot, this in reference to the flowers likeness to old bed-castors. Vulgare comes from the greek word vulgaris meaning common and this is likely in reference to its wide distribution.