About African Tree, Nunum

A huge-leaved basil with a slightly spicy oregano taste. Makes great pesto and is delicious in salads, soups, pastas, vinegars, and jellies as well as in many African and Asian dishes. Used in traditional medicine as well as cooking. Known as clove basil in the East Indies and scent-leaf in parts of Africa. "Nunum" is its common name in Ghana.

About Basil

Great for tea, pesto, salads, and dressings. Remove flowers for best-tasting leaves, or keep them to feed the bees and butterflies. These annual plants are native to sunny, warm Mediterranean climates and will not withstand frost. Water regularly and provide good drainage. Don’t plant outdoors until late May. Note: It's a good idea to vary the location where you plant basil each year because it's susceptible to fungal diseases that accumulate in soil over time. Rotate your crops!

Pot Size & Price
4-in. pot
$3.50
Height
36"–48"
Sunlight Exposure
Full Sun
Catalog
H023
Plant Traits
Bees
Butterflies
Cold Sensitive
Culinary
Edible Flowers
Medicinal

Other varieties of Basil

African Blue Basil, purple veins and leaf centers
Photo from Rush Creek Growers

African Blue

Basil 'Cardinal', green leaves and red bracts like dark red flower clusters
Photo from Park Seed

Cardinal

Basil 'Cinnamon', dark purple flowers, green leaves
Photo from Glacial Ridge Growers

Cinnamon

Basil Crimson King, purple shiny basil leaves
Photo from Park Seed

Crimson King

Greek basil, smallish green leaves
Photo by Goldlocki from the Wikimedia Commons

Greek

Holy Basil, green leaves
Photo by Forest & Kim Starr from the Wikimedia Commons

Holy

Lemon Basil
Photo from Green Earth Growers

Lemon

Basil 'Mammoth', large wrinkled green leaves
Photo from WikiGardener

Mammoth

Basil 'Minette', compact green mound of basil leaves
Photo from Park Seed

Minette

Mrihani basil, green leaves
Photo from Strictly Medicinal Seeds

Mrihani

Basil 'Napoletano', corrugated green leaves
Photo from Johnny's Seeds

Napoletano

Spicy Globe Basil, circular mound of small green leaves
Photo from Glacial Ridge Growers

Spicy Globe

Basil Aroma, green elongated basil leaves
Photo from High Mowing Organic Seeds

Sweet Genovese, Aroma

Catalog
H005
Sweet Genovese Basil
Photo from Green Earth Growers

Sweet Genovese, Devotion DMR

Basil Prospera Compact, green domed leaves
Photo from High Mowing Seeds

Sweet Genovese, Prospera Compact

Basil 'Thai Magic', green leaves and dark purple bracts
Photo from Evergreen Seeds

Thai Magic

Basil, Everleaf Thai Towers, columnar green plants with leaves to the ground
Photo from Rush Creek Growers

Thai, Everleaf Thai Towers

Thai basil with dark purple flowers and stems
Photo from the Wikimedia Commons by Risacher

Thai, organic

Thai Basil, green leave, dark stems
Photo from Green Earth Growers

Thai, Siam Queen