Wild Basil

Clinopodium vulgare

Found in pastures, roadbanks, forests, thin soils around rock outcrops. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height: 8–24 inches
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

Clinopodium vulgare — flower photograph — (c) zebedeugalinha, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: July to September

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 1 Florida county.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement.

1 of 2

Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trees and rocks on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Habitats

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground; forests and woodlands; cliffs, ledges and rocky summits.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Clinopodium

Anatrachyntis badiaFlorida Pink Scavanger Caterpillar
Stenoptilodes taprobanesNarrow Plume Moth

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Clinopodium

Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Lamiaceae
Flower color: Purple

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “July to September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “8–24 inches” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
primary_flower_color · “purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Satureja vulgaris

Conservation status

Florida rank	Not available
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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