Clinopodium vulgare alba
(White Wild Basil)

Other pictures of this plant:


               Seedpod                                           Leaf                                            Stem                                        Seed                                          Habit

Facts About this Plant:

    Common Names: White Wild Basil, White Field Basil
    Synonyms: Calamintha vulgaris, Satureja vulgaris
    Lifespan: Perennial
    Zones: 3 - 7
    Type: Forb
    Bloom Time: June - August
    Status: Native
    Range:

Clinopodium vulgare alba, or White Wild Basil, is native to the northeastern quarter of the United States, and is adventive in parts of the southwest as well. It grows in open fields, prairies and meadows, and along woodland edges and clearings. It blooms throughout the summer, with groups of small pink flowers.

This is a member of the mint family, and at a cursory glance, it looks like a member of the Monarda family. But the plant has oval shaped, rounded leaves, unlike any Monarda, and it has pink flowers, which set it apart from any other member of Clinopodium, as well, which have purple or white flowers.

This is not an actual different species, but is a variant of the original species, a sort of "albino" that can occur anywhere that this plant occurs.

Go Back

Back to The Plants.

Back to A-Z Listing.