Flower profile
Wild basil
Clinopodium vulgare
Wild basil is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–October.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Quick look
Clinopodium vulgare, or the wild basil, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae.
- It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 32 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to New York, Virginia and West Virginia. NatureServe
- NatureServe lists it as not native to Pennsylvania. NatureServe
- In New York, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–October. iNaturalist
- In Pennsylvania, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–October. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 2,740 research-grade sightings of it in New York, ranking #82 among the 109 flowers on our New York list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 2,383 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #87 among the 111 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,612 research-grade sightings of it in Virginia, ranking #101 among the 110 flowers on our Virginia list. iNaturalist
Wild basil gift ideas
Handmade wild basil gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Wild basil art print
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Wild basil greeting card
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Wild basil mug
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Wild basil earrings
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Wild basil embroidery pattern
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Wild basil sticker
When does it bloom?
Bloom time in each of our 4 states
| State | Type | Peak bloom | Sightings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Native | June–October | 2,740 |
| Pennsylvania | Introduced | June–October | 2,383 |
| Virginia | Native | June–October | 1,612 |
| West Virginia | Native | June–October | 853 |
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- New York
- Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New York. 6 NYCRR § 193.3
- Pennsylvania
- Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). NatureServe: S5, secure in Pennsylvania. 17 Pa. Code Ch. 45
- Virginia
- Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). NatureServe: S5, secure in Virginia. 2VAC5-320-10
- West Virginia
- No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in West Virginia.
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records wild basil in 32 states plus Washington, D.C.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.
New York counties with USDA records: Albany, Bronx, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Monroe, Montgomery, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Oswego, Otsego, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Schoharie, Steuben, Suffolk, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Westchester, Wyoming, Yates.
Pennsylvania counties with USDA records: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, York.
Virginia counties with USDA records: Albemarle, Alleghany, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Arlington, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Buckingham, Campbell, Carroll, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Clarke, Culpeper, Dickenson, Fairfax, Fauquier, Floyd, Fluvanna, Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Goochland, Grayson, Greene, Halifax, Henrico, Highland, King George, King and Queen, Lancaster, Lee, Loudoun, Lunenburg, Madison, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, Montgomery, Nelson, Orange, Page, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Stafford, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland, Wise, Wythe, York.
More New York flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CLVU.
- iNaturalist, Clinopodium vulgare: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Clinopodium vulgare (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- New York: New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3).
- New York: New York prohibited and regulated invasive species (6 NYCRR Part 575).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List (3 Pa.C.S. § 1519, PA Dept. of Agriculture) (PDA's page spells garlic mustard “Allaria petiolata”; we match it as Alliaria petiolata).
- Virginia: Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10).
- Virginia: Virginia noxious weeds (2VAC5-317-20, Tier 1, 2 and 3).
- West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Clinopodium vulgare (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Larry Jensen via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.