Dark opal basil is a cultivar of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil), developed by John Scarchuk and Joseph Lent at the University of Connecticut[2] in the 1950s. With deep purple, sometimes mottled leaves, it is grown as much for its decorative appeal as for its culinary value. Dark opal basil was a 1962 winner of the All-American Selection award.[1][3]