Ocimum tenuiflorum

Krishna Tulsi, Ram Tulsi, Tulsi

Message of the Flower

Devotion

The Mother’s Comment

Modest and fragrant, it gives itself without seeking for anything in return.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

In love for the Divine or for one whom one feels to be divine, the Bhakta feels an intense reverence for the Loved, a sense of something of immense greatness, beauty or value and for himself a strong impression of his own comparative unworthiness and a passionate desire to grow into likeness with that which one adores.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - I: Philosophical Thought and Yoga

The final demand of the Bhakta is simply that his bhakti may never cease nor diminish. He does not ask for heaven or for liberation from birth or for any other object, but only that his love may be eternal and absolute.

Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - II: The Godward Emotions

Colour

Pale greenish-white or pale purple

Family

Lamiaceae

Cultivars

Krishna', 'Rama', 'Vana'

Person who named the flower

Carl Linnaeus

Flower Size

Small

Flower Texture

Delicate

Number of Petals

Five

Floral Symmetry

Bilateral

Fragrance of Flower

Strong, sweet, and herbal

Leaf Texture

Slightly hairy, rough

Leaf Arrangement

Opposite

Leaf Color

Green or purple

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Shrub

Life Cycle

Perennial in tropics, annual in temperate climates

Blooming Period

Throughout the year in tropical climates, summer in temperate climates

Climate

Tropical to temperate

Water Requirements

Moderate to high

Soil Type

Rich, well-drained

Temperature Ranges

Prefers warm conditions; not frost-tolerant

Sun or Shade

Full sun to partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Aphids, spider mites, fungal diseases

Pollinators

Bees and butterflies

Habitat

Native to the Indian subcontinent, widely cultivated in gardens and pots globally

Role in the Ecosystem

Attracts beneficial insects, medicinal properties

Ornamental

Grown for its aromatic leaves and compact shape

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Spiritual practices, natural remedy

Endangered Status

Not endangered; widely cultivated