Code
OCIGR
Life form
Broadleaf
Life cycle
Perennial
Habitat
terrestrial
OCIGR
Life form
Broadleaf
Life cycle
Perennial
Habitat
terrestrial
🗒 Synonyms
| No Data |
🗒 Common Names
| Comorian |
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| Fon |
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| French |
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| Malagasy |
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📚 Overview
Description
Global description
Ocimum gratissimum is a perennial herbaceous, aromatic plant, with erect and branched stem, 0.40 to 2 meters high. The stem is rounded-quadrangular, highly branched, woody, rigid and with epidermis peeling off in strips at the base, more or less glabrous but becoming pubescent at nodes and on the inflorescences axis. The leaves are very fragrant are simple, petiolate, opposite, elliptic or oval to broadly ovate, with serrated margins. Small white flowers sometimes pink or carmine red, with a small calyx, are arranged in a terminal inflorescence in fake spike of 7 to 20 cm long. The fruits are formed of spherical capsules of about 2 mm in diameter.
Growth Habit
Ocimum gratissimum is a sub-woody, erect, abundantly branched herbaceous plant. It measures 1 to 2 meters (up to 3 m) high. It has a strong aromatic smell.
Underground system
Taproot.
Stem
The stem is rounded- quadrangular, highly branched, woody at the base, rigid and with epidermis peeling off in strips at the base, more or less glabrous but becoming pubescent at nodes and on the inflorescences axis.
Leaf
The leaves are simple, opposite, decussate and carried by a pubescent petiole of 2 to 5 cm long. The blade is elliptical to oval, 1.5 to 2.5 cm long and 0.6 to 1.2 cm wide. The margin is coarsely serrated. The apex and base are pointed. Both sides are covered with short, dense hairs (indumentum). Venation is pinnate, arched.
Inflorescence
False terminal spikes of 7 to 20 (30) cm long, consisting of small whorls of 6 to 10 sub-sessile flowers (pedicel of 1 to 4 mm), at the end of pubescent secondary branches.
Flower
At the base of flowers is a sessile, oval bract, of 3 to 12 mm long and 1-7 mm wide, acuminate and deciduous. Small white flowers sometimes pink or carmine red with a tubular calyx with two small (2-3 mm), pubescent lips. The upper lip is rounded and bends sideways while the lower lip has 4 shorter tines shorter than the upper lip. The corolla form a tube of 3.5 to 5 mm which ends in a large ventral, round and pubescent lip and a very short, truncated dorsal lip, with 4 tines. Four long stamens with white filament and yellow anther long exceeds the corolla tube as well as a long white style shortly bifid top. Ovary superior with 2 carpels, each with two loculus.
Fruit
The fruit consists of 4 small sub-globular dry nutlets, 1.5 mm long, rough, brown, remaining included in the persistent calyx.
Ocimum gratissimum is a perennial herbaceous, aromatic plant, with erect and branched stem, 0.40 to 2 meters high. The stem is rounded-quadrangular, highly branched, woody, rigid and with epidermis peeling off in strips at the base, more or less glabrous but becoming pubescent at nodes and on the inflorescences axis. The leaves are very fragrant are simple, petiolate, opposite, elliptic or oval to broadly ovate, with serrated margins. Small white flowers sometimes pink or carmine red, with a small calyx, are arranged in a terminal inflorescence in fake spike of 7 to 20 cm long. The fruits are formed of spherical capsules of about 2 mm in diameter.
Growth Habit
Ocimum gratissimum is a sub-woody, erect, abundantly branched herbaceous plant. It measures 1 to 2 meters (up to 3 m) high. It has a strong aromatic smell.
Underground system
Taproot.
Stem
The stem is rounded- quadrangular, highly branched, woody at the base, rigid and with epidermis peeling off in strips at the base, more or less glabrous but becoming pubescent at nodes and on the inflorescences axis.
Leaf
The leaves are simple, opposite, decussate and carried by a pubescent petiole of 2 to 5 cm long. The blade is elliptical to oval, 1.5 to 2.5 cm long and 0.6 to 1.2 cm wide. The margin is coarsely serrated. The apex and base are pointed. Both sides are covered with short, dense hairs (indumentum). Venation is pinnate, arched.
Inflorescence
False terminal spikes of 7 to 20 (30) cm long, consisting of small whorls of 6 to 10 sub-sessile flowers (pedicel of 1 to 4 mm), at the end of pubescent secondary branches.
Flower
At the base of flowers is a sessile, oval bract, of 3 to 12 mm long and 1-7 mm wide, acuminate and deciduous. Small white flowers sometimes pink or carmine red with a tubular calyx with two small (2-3 mm), pubescent lips. The upper lip is rounded and bends sideways while the lower lip has 4 shorter tines shorter than the upper lip. The corolla form a tube of 3.5 to 5 mm which ends in a large ventral, round and pubescent lip and a very short, truncated dorsal lip, with 4 tines. Four long stamens with white filament and yellow anther long exceeds the corolla tube as well as a long white style shortly bifid top. Ovary superior with 2 carpels, each with two loculus.
Fruit
The fruit consists of 4 small sub-globular dry nutlets, 1.5 mm long, rough, brown, remaining included in the persistent calyx.
Wiktrop
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| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
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No Data
📚 Nomenclature and Classification
No Data
📚 Natural History
Life Cycle
Life cycle
Perenial
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In a growth trial in Colombia, flowering may occur 136 days after germination and extend up to 195 days. The seeds are mature after 259 days.
Madagascar: Ocimum gratissimum can bloom all year round.
Mayotte : Ocimum gratissimum flowers and fruits all year round.
New Caledonia: Ocimum gratissimum quickly colonizes the spaces left free by other plants. There are several peaks of fruiting, especially at the beginning of the rainy season and the cool season.
Wiktrop
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| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Cyclicity
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Ocimum gratissimum is a perennial herbaceous plant that is propagated by seeds. Seeds produced in large quantities and contained in the rough fruits are spread by animals and agricultural equipment.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Morphology
Growth form
Erected
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Type of prefoliation
Leaf ratio medium
Equality of opposite leaves
Opposite leaves equal
Latex
Without latex
Stem section
Square
Root type
Taproot
Hollow or solid stem
Solid stem
Stipule type
No stipule
Leaf attachment type
with petiole
Lamina base
acute
attenuate
Lamina margin
dentate-crenate
Lamina apex
acute
Upperface pilosity
Dense hairy
Upperface hair type
Pubescent
Lowerface pilosity
Dense hairy
Simple leaf type
Lamina elliptic
Lamina section
flat
embossed
Lamina Veination
in arc
Flower color
Purple
Red flowers
White
Inflorescence type
Spike
Stem pilosity
Glabrous
Less hairy
Stem hair type
Pubescent
Life form
Shrub
Look Alikes
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Ocimum gratissimum is a complex quite variable polymorphic species, often sub-divided into subspecies, varieties or forms base on their chemical compounds, the shape of calyx at fruiting and degree of hairs.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Ecology
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In its area of origin, Ocimum gratissimum grows from sea level up to 1500 m altitude in the coastal marquis, along the shores of lakes, in the savanna vegetation in the sub-montane forest and in disturbed areas. In Southeast Asia, it is not frequently found in open habitats such as roadsides and clearings, but most often it is grown as a cover crop, up to about 300 m altitude.
Madagascar: Ocimum gratissimum grows on alluvial, ferruginous and humus ferralitic rich soils, in sunny places or lightly shaded. It is a weed of recession crops, of semi-intensive corn, cotton and vegetables crops. It is also found in fallow fields and the edge of cultures and canals, in open spaces and disrupted wetlands places in humid and sub-humid areas up to 1200 m altitude.
Mayotte: Ocimum gratissimum is a cryptogenic species with two common forms. The typical form grows especially in secondarized environments, forest and degraded dry thickets, crops, villages, coastal cliffs from the coast to the heights. The form with broad leaves is more hygrophilic. It grows in villages and degraded forests in mesophilic and hygrophilic regions. This species can form hedges along roads in semi-shaded areas, at medium altitude.
New Caledonia: This is a major invasive species of pastures on the west coast mainly. It is also found in degraded forests, dry forests and in secondary thickets.
Reunion: Species locally sub spontaneous along roadsides and in vacant lots in the area of Saint-Benoit.
Madagascar: Ocimum gratissimum grows on alluvial, ferruginous and humus ferralitic rich soils, in sunny places or lightly shaded. It is a weed of recession crops, of semi-intensive corn, cotton and vegetables crops. It is also found in fallow fields and the edge of cultures and canals, in open spaces and disrupted wetlands places in humid and sub-humid areas up to 1200 m altitude.
Mayotte: Ocimum gratissimum is a cryptogenic species with two common forms. The typical form grows especially in secondarized environments, forest and degraded dry thickets, crops, villages, coastal cliffs from the coast to the heights. The form with broad leaves is more hygrophilic. It grows in villages and degraded forests in mesophilic and hygrophilic regions. This species can form hedges along roads in semi-shaded areas, at medium altitude.
New Caledonia: This is a major invasive species of pastures on the west coast mainly. It is also found in degraded forests, dry forests and in secondary thickets.
Reunion: Species locally sub spontaneous along roadsides and in vacant lots in the area of Saint-Benoit.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
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Miscellaneous Details
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Toxicity
The phenols contained in the leaves make it an esteemed plant for perfumers but not consumed by cattle (but by deer).
The phenols contained in the leaves make it an esteemed plant for perfumers but not consumed by cattle (but by deer).
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Habitat and Distribution
General Habitat
Habitat
Terrestrial
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Origin
Ocimum gratissimum is native to Southeast Asia
Worldwide distribution
This is a widespread species in the tropical world: Central and South America, tropical Africa and Southern, South-west islands of the Indian Ocean, India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Pacific Islands. It is present in New Caledonia since the early 19th century, where it is already recorded as a weed of pastures in 1929 and qualified as a pest since 1937.
Ocimum gratissimum is native to Southeast Asia
Worldwide distribution
This is a widespread species in the tropical world: Central and South America, tropical Africa and Southern, South-west islands of the Indian Ocean, India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Pacific Islands. It is present in New Caledonia since the early 19th century, where it is already recorded as a weed of pastures in 1929 and qualified as a pest since 1937.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Occurrence
No Data
📚 Demography and Conservation
Risk Statement
Global harmfulness
Ocimum gratissimum is one of 300 major invasive plants in the South Pacific including New Caledonia
Local harmfulness
Comoros: Common weed from the coastal zone to mid-altitude forests, in old vegetable crops, in fallow lands as well as inside polycultures of banana plantations, cassava, vanilla and ylang ylang plots.
Madagascar: Ocimum gratissimum is a weed infrequent and sparse in crops. It produces a large amount of seeds dispersed by animals and humans; it grows in dense thickets often associated with other perennial and woody species as Urena lobata and Lantana camara. It is a weed characteristic of fields of perennial or extensively exploited crops. It can be harmful in fruits and perennial, poorly maintained crops in the shallows or down slope.
Mayotte: Ocimum gratissimum is an infrequent weed on the island, present in 4% of cultivated plots. It is mainly found in forage crops, in forage crops and pineapple plantations.
New Caledonia: Currently Ocimum gratissimum is a major invasive species of pastures on the west coast mainly. It can significantly reduce the feed value of pasture by forming dense stands that they eliminates any other species.
Reunion: O. gratissimum is not a weed of crops. It is not only found along roadside or in vacant lots in the area of Saint Benoit.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
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No Data
📚 Uses and Management
Uses
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Food : Ocimum gratissimum is a traditional vegetable widely used in Benin. This plant, called chayo, is grown by market gardeners and sold on markets for human consumption.
Medicinal: Ocimum gratissimum is a medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine for its postpartum care and treatment of various diseases (abdominal pain, sore throat, toothache, wounds, ulcers etc.), often in decoction or steam bath. The leaves have well known antibacterial, anti-diarrheal, anti-fungal, healing, anesthetic and stimulating properties.
Agronomic: A crude extract of Ocimum gratissimum leaves in ethanol shows insecticidal properties against a species of Tribolium sp.
Other: The leaves and young stems are used for the production of essential oils for different uses, especially for its medicinal virtues. This species can be cultivated for the production of essential oils. At INRAB (National Institute of Agricultural Research of Benin), this species is also the object of research as a repellent plant against pests of cabbage (see poster).
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Management
Local management
Comoros: Manual removal for weeding of young crops, sometimes by culling for large shrubs in old plantations.
Madagascar: Ocimum gratissimum is controlled by weeding with small manual tools as angady and machetes in fruit crops, and cassava crops.
New Caledonia: In pastures, we must first prevent the onset of Ocimum gratissimum by avoiding overgrazing and formation of bare soil areas favorable for germination. It should also be confining animals from infested plots of land in a quarantine to limit the spread of many seeds. After installing the plant, gyrobroyage does not control; it even contributes to its spread if it is done after fruiting. In low infestation, reduce the burden and chemically treat isolated spots. For heavy infestations, a gyrobryage before fruiting, followed by spraying with an herbicide gives very good results with a prohibition of grazing of 4 to 6 months which will allow the seed bank of forage species to germinate. Seeding or planting can also be done with a very covering forage. It must then manage the land to always have a dense forage cover to limit new sprouts. The use of 2,4-D + picloram is effective as a spot treatment or over larger settlements (see table of treatments).
Comoros: Manual removal for weeding of young crops, sometimes by culling for large shrubs in old plantations.
Madagascar: Ocimum gratissimum is controlled by weeding with small manual tools as angady and machetes in fruit crops, and cassava crops.
New Caledonia: In pastures, we must first prevent the onset of Ocimum gratissimum by avoiding overgrazing and formation of bare soil areas favorable for germination. It should also be confining animals from infested plots of land in a quarantine to limit the spread of many seeds. After installing the plant, gyrobroyage does not control; it even contributes to its spread if it is done after fruiting. In low infestation, reduce the burden and chemically treat isolated spots. For heavy infestations, a gyrobryage before fruiting, followed by spraying with an herbicide gives very good results with a prohibition of grazing of 4 to 6 months which will allow the seed bank of forage species to germinate. Seeding or planting can also be done with a very covering forage. It must then manage the land to always have a dense forage cover to limit new sprouts. The use of 2,4-D + picloram is effective as a spot treatment or over larger settlements (see table of treatments).
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
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No Data
📚 Information Listing
References
- HEDGE L. C., CLEMENT R.A., PATON A.J. & PHILLIPSON P. B. 1998. - Flore de Madagascar et des Comores Famille 175 LABIATAE M.N.H.N. Laboratoire de Phanérogamie Paris, p. 94-99.
- Barthelat, F. 2019. La Flore illustrée de Mayotte. Meze, Paris, France, Collection Inventaires et Biodiversité, Biotope – Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. 487 p.
- Ameenah G.F, Joseph G, M.D.Bissoondayal; Plantes Médicinales de Maurice, Tome 2 ; éditions de l’Ocean Indian/Université de Maurice/ Mauritius sugar Industry research Institute, p179
- Huat, J., Nagy, M., Carpente, A., Schwartz, M., Le Bourgeois, T. & Marnotte, P. 2021. Guide de la flore spontannée des agrosystèmes de Mayotte. Montpellier, Cirad. 150 p.
- Hedge I.C., Clement R.A., Paton A.J et Phillipson P.B., 1998. Flore de Madagascar et des Comores, Vol. 175, Labiatae. Paris MNHN, p96
- NICOLAS J-P. 2012 - Plantes médicinales du Nord de Madagascar. Ethnobotanique antakarana et Informations scientifiques. Ed. Jardin du Monde France p. 184-186.
- Blanfort, V., F. Desmoulins, J. Prosperi, T. Le Bourgeois, R. Guiglion and P. Grard (2010). AdvenPaC V.1.0 : Adventices et plantes à conflit d'intérêt des Pâturages de Nouvelle-Calédonie. Montpellier, France, IAC, Cirad.
- Adjanohoun e., Ake Assi L., Ali Ahmed, Eyeme J. Guinko S., Kayonga A. Keita A., Lebras M.. Contribution aux études ethnobotanique aux Comores ; ACCT Paris, 1982, p89
- Orwa C, A Mutua, Kindt R , Jamnadass R, S Anthony. 2009 Agroforestree Database:a tree reference and selection guide version 4.0 (http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sites/treedbs/treedatabases.asp)
Information Listing > References
- HEDGE L. C., CLEMENT R.A., PATON A.J. & PHILLIPSON P. B. 1998. - Flore de Madagascar et des Comores Famille 175 LABIATAE M.N.H.N. Laboratoire de Phanérogamie Paris, p. 94-99.
- Barthelat, F. 2019. La Flore illustrée de Mayotte. Meze, Paris, France, Collection Inventaires et Biodiversité, Biotope – Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. 487 p.
- Ameenah G.F, Joseph G, M.D.Bissoondayal; Plantes Médicinales de Maurice, Tome 2 ; éditions de l’Ocean Indian/Université de Maurice/ Mauritius sugar Industry research Institute, p179
- Huat, J., Nagy, M., Carpente, A., Schwartz, M., Le Bourgeois, T. & Marnotte, P. 2021. Guide de la flore spontannée des agrosystèmes de Mayotte. Montpellier, Cirad. 150 p.
- Hedge I.C., Clement R.A., Paton A.J et Phillipson P.B., 1998. Flore de Madagascar et des Comores, Vol. 175, Labiatae. Paris MNHN, p96
- NICOLAS J-P. 2012 - Plantes médicinales du Nord de Madagascar. Ethnobotanique antakarana et Informations scientifiques. Ed. Jardin du Monde France p. 184-186.
- Blanfort, V., F. Desmoulins, J. Prosperi, T. Le Bourgeois, R. Guiglion and P. Grard (2010). AdvenPaC V.1.0 : Adventices et plantes à conflit d'intérêt des Pâturages de Nouvelle-Calédonie. Montpellier, France, IAC, Cirad.
- Adjanohoun e., Ake Assi L., Ali Ahmed, Eyeme J. Guinko S., Kayonga A. Keita A., Lebras M.. Contribution aux études ethnobotanique aux Comores ; ACCT Paris, 1982, p89
- Orwa C, A Mutua, Kindt R , Jamnadass R, S Anthony. 2009 Agroforestree Database:a tree reference and selection guide version 4.0 (http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sites/treedbs/treedatabases.asp)
No Data
🐾 Taxonomy
| Root | Root |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Lamiales |
| Family | Lamiaceae |
| Genus | Ocimum |
| Species | Ocimum gratissimum L. |
📊 Temporal Distribution
📷 Related Observations
