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Old December 14, 2014   #52
Hermitian
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Vista, CA
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Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha View Post
Is it Blue Spice that tastes terrible or African Blue, or are they one and the same?
Blue Spice and African Blue are very different plants. Blue Spice is a SE Asian type and only grows as an annual here in zone 10b. IMO it has a wonderful scent (different from Italian Basil scent). In contrast, African Blue is a woody perennial even in zone 9b. It is a chance hybrid of two north African types. It is self-sterile so don't be duped into buying it from seed. It has small leaves, but the oil concentration is about 10x that of Italian. Consequently you would get an awful result using it 1-for-1 as a replacement for Italian. On the otherhand, if you are a thoughtful cook no one will know the difference. I grow this plant year-round on my patio in a 17" pot.
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