Basil vs Castor

Ocimum basilicum compared with Ricinus communis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Basil	Castor
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Lamiales (Lamiales)	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)
Family	Lamiaceae	Euphorbiaceae
Genus	Ocimum	Ricinus
Species	Ocimum basilicum	Ricinus communis

Evolutionary Relationship

Basil and Castor share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Basil

NE — Not Evaluated

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Basil	Castor
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Basil

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (9 countries), Asia (7 countries), Europe (16 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (10 countries), and South America (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador).

Castor

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (33 countries), Asia (26 countries), Europe (23 countries), North America (15 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (14 countries), and South America (12 countries).

Basil

The Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a species in the genus Ocimum. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions. Its range includes Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, and Burundi.

Castor

The Castor (Ricinus communis) is a species in the genus Ricinus. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and hi

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 41 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso 🇧🇮 Burundi 🇹🇩 Chad 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇫🇯 Fiji 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇬🇳 Guinea 🇮🇳 India 🇮🇹 Italy 🇰🇮 Kiribati 🇱🇾 Libya 🇲🇬 Madagascar 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands 🇫🇲 Micronesia 🇳🇷 Nauru 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇼 Palau 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea 🇷🇴 Romania 🇸🇨 Seychelles 🇸🇬 Singapore 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste 🇹🇴 Tonga 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States 🇾🇪 Yemen