Ocimum gratissimum L.

 
  • Family : LAMIACEAE
    (Mint Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : TULSI FAMILY (तुलसी फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Lamiaceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Ocimum gratissimum L.
  • Common name : Wild Basil, Shrubby Basil, Lemon basil, Tea bush
  • Vernacular name :
    • Elumicchan thulasi (Tamil)
    • Nimma tulsia, Ram tulasi (Telugu)
    • Ban tulsi (Oria)
    • Attuthulasi, Anathulasi, Kattuthrithavu, Karpoorathulasi (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Undershrub
  • Habitat : Wastelands and in dry deciduous forests
  • Comments / notes : Often in plains near habitations to 900m
  • Flower, Fruit : Throughout the year
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Common
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Tamil Nadu : Sirumalai Hills (Dindigul district)
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • World Distribution : Pantropical
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2011 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 4
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 3
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • Sankar,R.V., R. Kottaimuthu & K. Ravikumar (2009). Additions to the flora of Sirumalai Hills, Eastern Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 1(7): 379-381.
    • Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Ocimum gratissimum
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Ocimum gratissimum. Downloaded on 13 February 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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