African blue basil plants are sterile, unable to produce seeds of their own, and can only be propagated by cuttings.

[1] This particular breed of basil has a strong camphor scent, inherited from Ocimum kilimandscharicum (camphor basil),[2] its East African parent.

The concentration of the other major aroma compounds, linalool (55%), and 1,8-cineole (15%) is comparable to many basil cultivars.

The leaves of African blue basil start out purple when young, only growing green as the given leaf grows to its full size, and even then retaining purple veins.

Based on other purple basils, the color is from anthocyanins, especially cyanidin-3-(di-p-coumarylglucoside)-5-glucoside, but also other cyanidin-based and peonidin-based compounds.