Lamiaceae

Basil

Ocimum basilicum L.

Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Ocimum

Pets and kids

CatsSafe
DogsSafe
KidsSafe

Why

Cats: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Basil Basil - Toxic and Non-toxic Plants - ASPCA ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Ocimum basilicum (Basil, Genovese Basil, Purple Basil, Saint Joseph's Wort, Sweet Basil, Thai Basil) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension

Dogs: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Basil Basil - Toxic and Non-toxic Plants - ASPCA ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Ocimum basilicum (Basil, Genovese Basil, Purple Basil, Saint Joseph's Wort, Sweet Basil, Thai Basil) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension

Kids: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to young children. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Flower and vegetable plants safe for children #175836 - Ask Extension University or extension
Sensory gardens invite interaction | Flowers, Fruits, and Frass - Illinois Extension University or extension

Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) — FlowerPhoto: portioid, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (118)

aeb: حبق
Afrikaans: Basilie
Albanian: Borziloku
ang: Eorþmistel, Basil
Arabic: ريحان, الحبق, الحوك, الريحان, الريحان الملكي, العشبة الملكية, ريحان صعتري, ريحان قرنفلي
Armenian: Ռեհան, Շահասպրամ
arz: ريحان
Asturian: Alfabaca
azb: ریحان
Azerbaijani: Adi reyhan
ba: Райхан
ban: Sulasih
Bangla: সাদা তুলসী, গুলাল তুলসী, দুলাল তুলসী, বাসিল
Basque: Albaka, Albahaka, Basiliko, Genovar albaka
Belarusian: Базылік, Базілік
bik: Kamhotan
Bosnian: Bosiljak
Bulgarian: Обикновен босилек, Basilicum, Босилек
Burmese: ပင်စိမ်းမွှေး
Cantonese: 九層塔
Catalan: Alfàbrega, Basilicum polystachion
Chinese: 罗勒, 羅勒, 九层塔, 九重塔, 佩兰, 光明子, 光阴子, 兰香
Croatian: Bosiljak
Czech: Bazalka pravá, Bazalka vonná
dag: Nyulinyima
Danish: Basilikum
din: Aŋier
Divehi: ގަނދަކޯޅި
dsb: Bazilikum
Dutch: Basilicum, Basielkruid, Baziel, Bazielkruid, Rode basilicum, Tulsi
eml: Baśìlic
English: Basil, Sweet basil
Esperanto: Bazilio
Estonian: Basiilik
ff: Urngol
Filipino: Balanoy, Balanoy na matamis, Basil, Basil na matamis, Matamis na balanoy, Matamis na basil, O basilicum, O. basilicum
Finnish: Basilika, Maustebasilika, Thaibasilika
French: Basilic, Basilic citron, Basilic grand vert, Basilic pourpre, Basilic thai doux, Basilic thaï
frr: Basiilikum
Galician: Alfábega, Albaca, Alfabaca
Georgian: Ბოსტნის რეჰანი
German: Basilikum, Basilie, Basilienkraut, Hirnkraut, Königskraut
Greek: Βασιλικός, Ώκιμον το βασιλικόν
Guarani: Albahaca
Gujarati: તકમરિયાં
gv: Bassyl
Haitian Creole: Bazilik
Hausa: Ɗaɗɗoya
Hebrew: ריחן מצוי, בזיליקום
hif: Tulsi
hsb: Bazlik, Bazilija, Bazilikowe zelo
Hungarian: Bazsalikom, Kerti bazsalikom
Icelandic: Basilíka, Basil, Basilika
Indonesian: Selasih, Basilicum, Basilikum, Telasih, Tlasih
io: Bazilo
Italian: Basilico, Ocymum basilicum
Japanese: バジル, バジリコ, メボウキ
Javanese: Selasih
kab: Leḥbaq
Kannada: ತುಳಸಿ, ಕಾಮಕಸ್ತೂರಿ
Kazakh: Базилик
Korean: 바질, 나륵풀
Kurdish: Rihan, Merzekew, Toprihan
lah: نیازبو
Latin: '' Ocimum basilicum '', Basilicum
Latvian: Baziliks, Parastais baziliks, Saldais baziliks
Lithuanian: Kvapusis bazilikas
Luxembourgish: Baselick, Basilic, Basilikum
lzh: 羅勒
Macedonian: Босилек
Malagasy: Romba
Malay: Pokok Selasih
Malayalam: ബേസിൽ, ഗ്രേറ്റ് ബേസിൽ,സെന്റ് ജോസഫ്സ്-വോർട്ട്
Marathi: तुळस
mzn: بالنگوم
nan: Káu-chàn-thah
nap: Vasenicola
Nepali: बाबरी, बाबरी फूल
Norwegian Bokmål: Basilikum
Norwegian Nynorsk: Basilikum
Occitan: Basèli, Alfasega, Balicòt, Baselic
Oromo: Massobila
os: Хæрздæф реган
pam: Basil
Pashto: ریحان
pcd: Bazilicq
Persian: ریحان
Polish: Bazylia pospolita
Portuguese: Manjericão de folha-larga, Basílico, Efirin
Punjabi: ਨਿਆਜ਼ਬੋ
Romanian: Busuioc
rsk: Вашилєц
Russian: Базилик душистый, Альбаака, Базилик благородный, Базилик камфорный, Базилик обыкновенный, Базилик огородный, Базилик сладкий
sc: Frabica
scn: Bacilicò, Basilicò, Basiricò, Basìlicu
Serbian: Bosiljak, Босиљак, Верем трава, Горска метвица
Serbian (Latin): Bosiljak
shn: တူၼ်ႈဢိမ်ၶိမ်း
Sindhi: نازبو
Slovak: Bazalka pravá
Slovenian: Navadna bazilika, Bazilika, Bažiljka
Somali: Reexaan
Spanish: Alabega, Albaca, Albahaca, Alfabega, Alfábega, Alhabega, Alhábega, Alábega
Swedish: Basilika
Tamil: திருநீற்றுப்பச்சை
Tatar: Затлы рәйхан
tcy: ಕಾಮ ಕಸ್ತೂರಿ
Telugu: విభూది తులసి
Tongan: Taʻetaʻe
Turkish: Fesleğen
Ukrainian: Базилік духмяний
Urdu: تلسی نازبو
Uzbek: Rayhon
vec: Bazegò
Vietnamese: Húng tây
Welsh: Brenhinllys
wuu: 罗勒
za: Maengzbaegmbouj

Synonyms

Ocimum odorum Salisb.

Flowers

In flower: January to February, April to May, August to November (from 57 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Annual, Perennial
In the US and Canada: Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: portioid, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Branson Khounvichith, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Joey Bom, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Pietro Maiorana Montes, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Castielli, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: cl116, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Diogo Luiz, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: onelukyone, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: 葉子, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Nikita Korniychuk, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Alan Rockefeller, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Ocimum

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0); common names from SimplePlant editors (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.