looks like "holy basil"

Hard to say but holy basil is a possibilty. If so, there will be some fuzz to the leaves that sweet basil doesn’t have.

I was researching to see what holy basil taste like since I've never tasted it, and from the description the taste sounds similar to Thai basil. I was just wonering if anyone has tasted both, and if there is any significant difference in taste that could help with an i.d.

I’ve grown them all including multiple holy basil or tulsi varieties. Thai basil tastes more like sweet basil than holy basil does. Holy basil has more of an herbal taste that you would expect in a tea cup as opposed to a dinner plate.

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure how much it would help with i.d.s because there are so many varieties of herbal teas and you really can't group them all together as a single flavor. You are making me more curious to taste it for real. Your herbal knowledge is very good, do you know if the use of holy basil in India is based more in religion or do the people actually enjoy the taste of the herb in their cooking? They use such a huge amount of herbs and spices over there for their curries and masalas .

Most basils are just variations of the same species, Ocimum basilicum. The taste may be slightly dfferent from cultivar to cultivar but they are all going to be very similar. They are much like mint in that regard. Holy basil is a completely different plant, Ocimum tenuiflorum (syn. O. sanctum)

Tulsi, other than having religious significance, is usually used in Ayurvedic medicine traditions as opposed to something used to season food. Oh I am sure there are some people who cook with it, but that is not is common or traditional usage.

It is easy to grow. Great pollinator plant. The bumbles love it. I just direct sow the seeds when it is time to plant tomatoes and peppers. In my cold northern zone, that is late May. Blooms late summer and you can harvest until frosts kill it. Dry for usage as a tea. Note there are some cautions with tulsi, like any medicinal, so read up if pregnant or other medical conditions apply.

Thank you again. I enjoy watching the bumblebees on basil as much as I enjoy cooking with it. That's what I'm looking for, more good pollinator plants.

I grow flowering herbs (culinary & medicinal) in and around the veggie garden to increase pollinator appeal. Borage is one of my favorites as it works well underneath the pole beans plus it is another great pollinator plant with copious flowers bees love.

I have tried to grow borage for two seasons. I get germination and growth but then lose the plant around flowering time. Not being able to grow borage is one of my top gardening disappointments.

I have a holy basil plant and it is definitely not holy basil unless it is another variety of holy basil and the seeds were incorrectly labeled. (eta: actually there is a tulsi basil volunteer in the pot of plant #2. I know that the basil that I am trying to get an ID on is not very clear, maybe I will cut a branch and post a picture of the branch).

I smelled the leaves twice and the first time the both leaves smelled like its from the Italian / sweet basil category and the second time I smelled it had a spicy / clover-ish smell that I associate with Thai basils (based on descriptions I've read, not actual experience).

I am saving seeds so I am just trying to see if I can get IDs for labeling purposes.

Thanks for all the input.

ETA:

I planted the following: Queenette, Italian Leaf, Siam Queen, Sweet Thai, Sweet, Dark Opal / Purple Leaf, seeds harvested in 2016 from basil plants purchased at Home Depot.

Tulsi and Holy Basil are the same plant Ocimum tenuiflorum. Tulsi is the Indian name for it.

Yes, there are multiple varieties of holy basil and they do have different characteristics. And yes, tulsi == holy basil.

We didn't know that you grew these from seeds you collected. I do know Siam Queen is an open-pollinated/heirloom variety that should throw true barring cross-pollination but I'm not sure about the others off the top of my head. Seeds collected from hybrid plants can throw a variety of results and so can basil that has cross-pollinated with other varieties. These plants may have vastly different characteristics than their parent plants and so it is not possible for us to really say what varieties they are, if any at all.