XVI International Botanical Congess

Essential oils extracted from Ocimum spp. are used to flavor foods, oral products, in fragrances, and in traditional medicines. The genus Ocimum contains around 30 species native to the tropics and subtropics, with some cultivated in temperate areas. Taxonomy of basil Ocimum is complicated by inter- and intra-specific hybridization, and the existence of numerous cultivars and chemotypes within species that do not differ in morphology. RAPD markers were used to characterize eight species, and one natural hybrid (total of 37 accessions) (O. americanum, O. basilicum, O. campechianum, O. x citriodorum, O. gratissimum, O. kilimandscharium, O. minimum, O. selloi, and O. tenuiflorum). RAPD profiles revealed significant genetic diversity based on 63 polymorphic fragments generated, and were able to discriminate between Ocimum species.