Ocimum basilicum 'Violet-Red Basil' SEEDS

Ocimum basilicum 'Violet-Red Basil' seeds grow into violet or red basil — a purple-leaved selection of sweet basil, producing deeply coloured burgundy-purple to violet-red leaves of striking ornamental appeal combined with the characteristic sweet basil fragrance. Ocimum basilicum L. is sweet basil. Purple basil selections owe their colour to anthocyanin pigments, the same class of compounds responsible for red wine colour and the purple in radicchio. Several named purple basil cultivars exist (including 'Dark Opal', 'Rubin', 'Purple Ruffles'); this 'Violet-Red' selection produces leaves of deep violet-red hue; flavour is similar to standard green basil but with a slight additional spice note. Used both fresh in salads (dramatic visual contrast) and to infuse vinegars and oils with pink-purple colour. Named cultivar may NOT breed true from seed. Family Lamiaceae.

Full sun; fertile, moist, well-drained soils; warm conditions. Purple colour most intense in full sun — shading reduces pigmentation. Sow indoors early. Use fresh in salads for visual contrast or infuse in white wine vinegar (turns pink). Named cultivar may NOT breed true from seed.

• 'Violet-Red' = anthocyanin-pigmented purple basil; deep violet-red leaves; sweet basil fragrance with extra spice note
• Basilicum = royal; L. (Linnaeus); purple colour = anthocyanins; colour intensifies in full sun; infuses oils/vinegars pink
• Ornamental and culinary use; visual contrast in salads; infused vinegar turns pink-purple; warm weather essential
• Genus Ocimum: ~65 species; Tropics; Family Lamiaceae; Order Lamiales
• Full sun essential for colour; fertile moist soils; warm; infuse vinegar; named cultivar may not breed true; Lamiaceae

Ocimum basilicum 'Violet-Red Basil' is sweet basil reimagined in royal purple — an anthocyanin-rich variety that brings dramatic colour to the herb garden and the salad bowl, its deep violet-red leaves turning white wine vinegar a striking pink and adding a note of colour that no green basil can provide, combining ornamental impact with the same essential fragrance of the Italian kitchen.

IMPORTANT: Pictures show the adult plant, which is not for sale. The offer is only for seeds.