Lamiaceae
Ocimum

Ocimum serpyllifolium Forssk.

First published in Fl. Aegypt.-Arab.: 110 (1775)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. Somalia, SW. Arabian Peninsula. It is a subshrub or shrub and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Shrublet or subshrub, 0.1–1 m tall, often with leaves crowded in short-shoots, with simple hairs only
Morphology Leaves
Leaves sessile or subsessile; blade obovate-spathulate, oblanceolate or elliptic, often convolute, up to 3–20 × 1–5 mm, apex obtuse, base cuneate, margin entire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence ± lax; bracts early deciduous with the scars forming ± dark bowl-like glands
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits Fruiting calyx
Fruiting calyx 7–9 mm long, closed or almost so by the lateral lobes being bent towards each other, without a ventral constriction in the tube; upper lobe c. 3 mm broad, narrowly cuneate at the base; lateral lobes with the posterior margin extended, broadly rounded or truncate, with at least one subulate tooth; lower lobes subulate, separated from the lateral lobes by a deep sinus
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 8–12 mm long, pale lilac
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Anterior stamens 3–10 mm longer than the lower lip of the corolla; posterior stamens with indistinct or distinct outgrowth near the base; anthers with parallel thecae
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Nutlets 1.8–2.8 mm long.
Distribution
N2; Saudi Arabia, Yemen
Ecology
Altitude c. 1800 m.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0