Last week I returned home from a minor outpatient surgery feeling groggy from the anesthesia. Worse was a very raw throat. All I wanted was a nice cup of herbal tea and my bed. Fortunately, I had picked a few sprigs of my beloved Scent Leaf that morning. So I prepared the tea and added a few drops of my homemade ginger simple-syrup. When the first sip touched that sore throat, it was heaven. The flavor of cloves even has a slight numbing effect, just what was needed against a throat made raw by a breathing tube. I could not have chosen a more beneficial tea.
Ocimum gratissimum is a large perennial basil known as Scent Leaf in its native Nigeria. As it becomes better known around the world, other names attach: tree basil, bush basil, African basil. In Hawaii it is called cloves basil. TrueLove Seeds includes Scent Leaf seeds in their African Diaspora Collection. They suggest even more names from its homeland: efirin, ntong, dogosui, daidoya, ebe-amwonkho, and mujaaja. Quite honestly, Scent Leaf seems most appropriate to me. When you’re working in the herb garden, and suddenly catch the sweet cloves aroma from the large, soft leaves, Scent Leaf seems exactly right.
Scent Leaf is a perennial, but like every other basil I have grown, it cannot survive temps below freezing. Therefore, it is likely to be a short-lived perennial in Central Florida. As with other perennial basils like African Blue and Cardinal, simply take cuttings before cold weather is expected. Since this plant always seems to be flowering and producing seed, seed saving could not be easier. However, germination rates are not reliably high. Cuttings are still a good option.
I absolutely love this plant. The aroma in the garden would make it desirable to me, even without other useful characteristics. My throat is easily irritated, sending me into uncontrolled coughing fits. Fresh leaves from the Scent Leaf make the ideal tea. The flavor of cloves also refreshes the mouth. Like other basils, Scent Leaf is easy to grow, undemanding in the garden. Just remember that it can grow quite large.
Another quick word about TrueLove Seeds: They produce a podcast called Seeds and Their People, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite podcasts. If you enjoy learning about culturally-significant plants from around the world, and about the people working to preserve the seeds, I think you’ll love it too.
Call it Scent Leaf, Cloves Basil, Tree Basil, Bush Basil or something Else. This is a Plant Well-Worth Growing.
