Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia

Basil

Ocimum basilicum

Sweet Basil, native to Europe, is used fresh or dried as an aromatic culinary seasoning. It was common in America by the late 1700's, and Thomas Jefferson requested a supply of this pot-herb from his neighbor George Divers in 1820.

AI generated image from an original Monticello photograph.
In Bloom
July–October
Growth Type
Annual
Hardiness
3-10
Conditions
Full Sun
Location
Vegetable Garden
Colors
White/Cream
Documented By
Thomas Jefferson
Seeds
Available in our online shop

When Thomas Jefferson was serving as U.S. President, his mâitre d'hôtel, Étienne Lemaire, bought basil at the Washington market and it was cooked with venison.1 In a letter written in February 1820, Jefferson's neighbor, George Divers of Farmington, noted that he was not able to supply Jefferson with the pot-herbs "sweet marjoram. sweet basil. or summer savory."2

Ocimum was the Greek word for the aromatic herb called basil in English. Although native to tropical Asia, sweet basil has been cultivated for thousands of years throughout Europe with references in Britain as early as the 1400s.3 Basil was common in America by the late 1700s. Philadelphia nurseryman Bernard McMahon listed basil seed for sale on his 1810 broadsheet.

This is a tender annual herb with aromatic, edible foliage and white flowers in terminal spikes on the branches.

In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.

Further Sources

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Footnotes

  1. Peter Hatch, "Herbs," Monticello Research Report, 3, 4.
  2. Divers to Jefferson, February 28, 1820, Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts, Massachusetts Historical Society. Quoted in Betts, Garden Book, 591. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  3. Alice M. Coats, Flowers and Their Histories (London: Black, 1968), 292.