Perilla frutescens

Perilla frutescens, commonly called perilla or Korean perilla, is a species of Perilla in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is an annual plant native to Southeast Asia and Indian highlands, and is traditionally grown in the Korean peninsula, Southern China, Japan and India as a crop. An edible plant, perilla is a very attractive plant for the garden and attracts butterflies. It is an aromatic plant with a strong minty smell. Various perilla varieties are traditionally used by local people, the leaves are used as a vegetable and the seeds supply nutritious cooking oil. A variety of this plant, P. frutescens var. crispa or 'shiso', is widely grown and is one of the most popular garnishes in Japan, used as an antidote for fish and crab meat allergy or as a food colorant. In the United States, perilla is a weed pest, toxic to cattle after ingestion. Along with other plants in the genus Perilla, the plant is commonly called 'perilla'. It is also referred to as 'Korean perilla', due to its extensive cultivation in Korea and use in Korean cuisine. In Korean, the name kkae (깨) refers to both the plant and the seed of sesame and perilla. Sesame is called chamkkae (참깨; literally 'true kkae'), while perilla is called deulkkae (들깨; literally 'wild kkae'). Because of this, deulkkae is sometimes mistranslated as 'wild sesame'. It is called egoma in Japanese, and sūzi or zĭsū in Chinese. The leaves are called 'perilla', 'perilla leaves', or 'Korean perilla leaves' in English, and kkaennip (깻잎; literally 'leaf of kkae') in Korean. It is called sūyè or sūziyè in Chinese. In the USA, where the plant has become a weed, the plant is known by many names such as perilla mint, beefsteak plant, purple perilla, Chinese basil, wild basil, blueweed, Joseph's coat, wild coleus and rattlesnake weed. Perilla frutescens has three known varieties. Perilla is an annual plant growing 60–90 centimetres (24–35 in) tall, with hairy square stalks. The leaves are opposite, 7–12 centimetres (2.8–4.7 in) long and 5–8 centimetres (2.0–3.1 in) wide, with a broad oval shape, pointy ends, serrated(saw-toothed) margins, and long leafstalks. The leaves are green with occasional touches of purple on the underside. The flowers bloom on racemes at the end of branches and the main stalk in late summer. The calyx, 3–4 millimetres (0.12–0.16 in) long, consist of upper three sepals and the hairy lower two. The corolla is 4–5 millimetres (0.16–0.20 in) long with its lower lip longer than the upper. Two of the four stamens are long.