Latest Overview of Perilla Seed Production Area Distribution

Perilla seed production areas are mainly located in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, China, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Jiangxi, Hunan and other central-southern regions, and the Himalayan region; Japan, Myanmar, the Korean Peninsula, India, and Nepal have also introduced this species, and it also grows in North America.

Perilla seed is suitable for cultivation in cold temperate zones. It has low soil requirements; it grows well when cultivated on sandy loam, loam, and clay loam with good drainage at the edges of villages, field edges, in front of and behind houses, and beside ditches and field borders, on fertile soil.

Perilla seed is an annual herb, 30-200 cm tall, with an upright stem, opposite leaves covered with long nodal hairs, and fine oil gland dots on the underside of the leaves. It is much branched, purple, green-purple, or green, obtusely four-angled, with a bell-shaped calyx, a labiate corolla, and a relatively small fruiting calyx. There are two types: purple perilla and white perilla. Purple perilla is mostly used medicinally, while white perilla can be eaten and also pressed for oil; at present, white perilla is mostly cultivated.