'Mrihani' Basil

Ocimum basilicum

Origin: Philomath, Oregon

Improvement status: Cultivar

Seeds per packet: ~70

Germination tested 12/2023: 78%

Life cycle: Annual

After selling a breeding population with 'Mrihani' as one of the original parents for a few years now, we're excited to be offering the original. Also from our friends at Wild Garden Seeds, this variety was introduced to the US by Richo Cech of Strictly Medicinal Seeds in southern Oregon. According to Frank Morton's account, Richo "found this basil growing on the north end of Pemba Island in the Zanzibar Archipelago, off the coast of Tanzania, in 1990. He found the woman who was growing the crop, and she asked him to return the next day to receive a gift of seeds. When he did so, she handed him a triangular packet of seed, folded from newspaper. She called it 'Mrihani.' The fragrance of this basil is completely different from Italian, Thai, or Sacred basils, having a sweet perfume quality."

The photo comes from our friends at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, who also add this about the plant: "Great-tasting, relatively mild, ruffled leaves with notes of anise. Slow to bolt, and has very good resistance to basil downy mildew. From Zanzibar, off the Eastern coast of Africa, where it is used in perfumes as well as food."