Sweet basil or commonlycalled Niazbo in North India is botanically – Ocimum basilicum . It is  commonly cultivated in gardens as a culinary herb and spreads as a weed. The purple coloured flowers are arranged in regular whorls and form a typical verticillaster inflorescence. It bears bi-labiate flowers, i.e. each flower has 5 sepals and 5 petals arranged in 2 lips – a larger and a smaller. Four stamens with half -fertile and half -sterile give it a typical didynamous condition.

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The fertile stamens were gently pressed to release the pollen that were viewed under foldscope. Presence of staminal trichomes is yet another feature that was seen under foldscope.

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