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Clinopodium vulgare

Common name: Wild Basil Family: Labiatae
Author: L. Botanical references: 17, 200
Synonyms: Calamintha vulgaris ((L.)Druce.), Calamintha clinopodium (Benth.)
Known Hazards: None known
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, south and west to N. Africa, Siberia, central and western Asia.
Habitat: Heaths and dry grassy places, usually on calcareous soils[5, 17].
Edibility Rating (1-5): 2Medicinal Rating (1-5):1

Other Possible Synonyms:From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
C. vulgare var. neogaea[B,P] Calamintha vulgare[H] Satureja vulgaris[B,G,P] Satureja vulgaris var. diminuta[B,P] Satureja vulgaris var. neogaea[B,P]
Other Common Names:From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
Borstelkrans [D], Dog Mint [H], Hedge Basil [H], Hedge Calamint [H], Wild Basil [H,B,P],
Epithets:From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
clinopodium = like a bed's foot ?; vulgare = common;
Systematics:From a USDA Plants Database
Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.45m by 0.45m . It is hardy to zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies) and insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Condiment; Leaves; Tea.

Edible leaves - used fresh or dried as a flavouring in cooked foods[5, 8, 12, 183] or fresh as a flavouring in salads[177].
A sweet and aromatic herb tea is made from the fresh leaves[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Aromatic; Astringent; Cardiotonic; Carminative; Diaphoretic; Expectorant.

The plant is aromatic, astringent, cardiotonic, carminative, diaphoretic and expectorant[4, 145]. An infusion of the plant helps to overcome weak digestion[244].

Other Uses

Dye.

A yellow and a brown dye are obtained from the leaves[46, 61].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in almost any well-drained soil[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks at 21°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse. Plant them out in the summer if they have made sufficient growth, otherwise plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Division in spring. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer or following spring.
Cuttings of soft wood in May or June.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

References for Calamintha clinopodium (a possible synonym). References for Calamintha vulgare (a possible synonym).
  • [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[8] Ceres. Free for All. Thorsons Publishers 1977 ISBN 0-7225-0445-4
Edible wild plants in Britain. Small booklet, nothing special.

[12] Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2
A handy pocket guide.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[145] Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976
A good flora of the western Himalayas but poorly illustrated. Some information on plant uses.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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