What makes perilla special? A comprehensive breakdown of its characteristics

Aliases of perilla

Perilla is an annual herbaceous plant in the Lamiaceae family. Its aliases include Guiren, white perilla, red perilla, red perilla, black perilla, white perilla, green perilla, suma, and shuishengma.

Morphological characteristics of perilla

Perilla is an annual upright herbaceous plant with stems 0.3-2 m tall, green or purple, bluntly four-angled, and the stem covered with long fine hairs.

The leaves are broadly ovate or round, 7-13 cm long and 4.5-10 cm wide, with a short-pointed or abruptly pointed leaf tip, a rounded or broadly wedge-shaped base, and coarsely serrated edges. The leaf color is green or purple, or only the underside is purple. The upper surface of the leaf has sparse fine hairs, and the underside has appressed fine hairs.

The verticillaster has 2 flowers, forming terminal and axillary racemes 1.5-15 cm long, densely covered with long soft hairs and leaning to one side; the bracts are broadly ovate or nearly round, about 4 mm long and wide, with a short pointed tip, covered outside with reddish-brown glandular dots, hairless, with a membranous margin; the pedicel is 1.5 mm long and densely covered with soft hairs.

The nutlet is spherical, grayish-brown, about 1.5 mm in diameter, with a reticulate pattern on the surface. The flowering period of perilla is from August to November, and the fruiting period is from August to December.

Growth characteristics of perilla

Perilla has strong growth adaptability and low environmental requirements. It generally grows on well-drained, fertile sandy loam, loam, and clay loam, in front of and behind houses, and beside ditches and fields.