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basil plant hitchhiker?

12 years ago

i'm VERY new to gardening. my mom bought me some herbs for my birthday and on two of the basil plants there are these black/dark purple stemmed hitchhikers. i would have pulled them out... but the leaves smell like basil. i wasn't bothered by them until this guy started what looks like flowering... now i'm worried i'll have a million little weeds i'm tending instead of herbs.

here are links to the pictures: http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h41/kneeco86/photo-8.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h41/kneeco86/photo-9.jpg

are they basil? or should i pull them?

thank you SO very much for ANY help you can provide!

--christian

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Comments (3)

herbalbetty
12 years ago
Looks like you may have Thai Basil. Especially if it smells like basil, as you said.
gardenman101
12 years ago
I would say it looks more like cinnimon basil. Pinch out the flower and it will send out more side shoots and become bushier
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umayamla
12 years ago
I also believe that is Thai basil (maybe Siam Queen). When you rub it's leaves, it should have an anise/basil aroma. If it does, it is Thai basil. You are very lucky that some seeds got included in your basil and germinated. Thai basil is awesome raw in salads or cooked in south asian cuisine.

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