Italian Large Leaf

'Italian Large Leaf' is a Genovese-type sweet basil selected for oversized foliage, with leaves reaching about 4 inches against roughly 3 inches on standard Genovese. The trade-off runs the other way on intensity: seed houses consistently describe it as sweeter and more delicate, with leaves that seem to carry a little less oil, which is why pesto purists often stay with the smaller-leaved type while whole-leaf and caprese growers prefer this one. Uprising Seeds rates it slow to bolt and quick to recover after cutting, a useful combination for anyone taking repeated hard harvests off the same planting. The same variety is a mainstay of the microgreen trade, where Johnny's harvests it at first true leaf in an average of 19 days. Being open-pollinated, it is freely seed-saveable, unlike the downy-mildew-resistant F1 hybrids marketed under a similar name.