Plant/herb identification help?

[Blue eyes]

I have basil and mint growing in my herb garden. But the attached photo is something else growing there. I think it might be something I attempted to grow last year from seed but is only coming up now. I just don't know what it is.

Does anyone recognize this plant? When it flowers, the blooms are lavender -- not white, like my current basil.

I thought maybe purple basil, but purple basil has purple leaves.

The edges of the leaves are jagged unlike my other basil.

 

[Blue eyes]

Here it is today with those flowers...

 

[stevesmum]

Could be lamiaceae/labiatae - mint/deadnettle family

 

[Blue eyes]

thanks, I checked what you suggested and there are many varieties of mint to be sure. This plant does not smell like mint though. (I just went out and checked.)

It has a mild scent (not strong like mint) and it smells sweet (as in sugary, not as in cutesy).

 

[Watermelons]

Its gotta be something within the mint family "Lamiaceae". Those leaves and flowers are so similar to catnip. Lots of plants within that family look very similar. Not all have strong smells.

 

[Blue eyes]

I agree it certainly looks 'minty.' I want to be sure it is safe, of course, and be positive on that identification.

 

[Watermelons]

I cant remember if you have cats?
Ive been growing catnip & catmint for years and that looks pretty damn close. They get such pretty purple flowers.
Either way as far as im aware everything in that family is safe anyway.

 

[animalsRbetter]

I agree, it very much looks like catnip, and that stuff will grow like weeds!

 

[Blue eyes]

(I don't have cats.) Here is a photo of catmint from the web - the closest I could find to what I have. Following that is a close-up of what I want to identify.

The flower stalks are different and the texture of the leaves is different. The catmint has webbing-like veins on the surface like my other mint plants.

It may well be mint, but it seems too different to me to be sure.

 

[Watermelons]

My catnip and catmint all grew flowers like your photo. Never like that first photo 😕 always nice and close together in that christmas tree shape. Pretty and purple. Not dark purple but the same light purpleas yours.
Havent had summer weather up here long enough for mine to be flowering yet. Im just surprised they survived the below -10c temps in pots.
The veining is slightly different. But id still say its in the same Genus atleast with the catnips/mints. With those leaf shapes and those flowers....

 

[Blue eyes]

After much searching, I've finally discovered the identity of this plant. There was a homeshow with one booth from the Master gardeners from the Desert Botanical Garden out here. The 3 working at the booth couldn't agree. They suggested I email the Garden. One "master gardener" there thought it was mint, another thought it was salvia. But none of the photos matched mine - flower stalk, hair on stems, etc.

I finally checked a plant ID forum and someone there found a plant that matches : Basil, Blue Spice (Ocimum basilicum)

There's a photo of it at the following link (I can't copy it since it's copyrighted)

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/248120/

 

[Watermelons]

I was right it was from the family Lamiaceae.

 

[Blue eyes]

Blue Spice basil is said to be a hybrid of purple basil and american basil.

I never knew that basil was in the mint family.

Just looking now, apparently the mint family includes basil, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, oregano, sweet marjoram, rosemary, sage, savory, summer savory, anise hyssop, and germander. :shock:
Who knew?

 

[Watermelons]

Taxonomy really interested me in school.
Its crazy just looking at 1 clasification up the tree how broad things get and then you see things you never thought were related in there together.

It looks nothing like basil basil but that whole family is basicly various herbs. Which is all catnip is.