Wild basil
Clinopodium vulgare
Washington State Classification
Class B — Control Required (Designated)
Quickly outcompetes all forest groundcover, creating a monoculture.
Required control in Region 1 (all western Washington counties)
Quick Reference
Identification
Growth Habit
Wild basil is a very hairy mint species.
Leaves
Hairy, pointed egg shaped, growing in opposite pairs along the stem, with shallow, blunt serrated margins.
Flowers
Dense clusters of pink to purple flowers, growing at the top of leaf pairs. Typical mint flower shape, of two lobes curving down, two lobes going out on both sides, and lobes curving up.
Fruit & Seeds
Very small, brown seeds that are housed in the aging hairy calyx clusters.
Impact
Quickly outcompetes all forest groundcover, creating a monoculture.
Ecology & Spread
Habitat
A variety of habitats, though mostly forests, forest edges, and disturbed areas, especially in drier areas. Click here to see a county-level distribution of wild basil in Washington.
Spread Mechanisms
Reproduction
Seed and rhizome
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