Image: Wikimedia Commons (See link for license)
Perilla / Egoma🌿
Perilla frutescens var. frutescens
エゴマ
An annual in the mint family, a variety of shiso (P. frutescens). Native to Southeast Asia and already cultivated in Japan by the Jōmon period. Leaves resemble shiso but are more strongly aromatic — in Korean cuisine known as 'kkaennip', used to wrap samgyeopsal. The pressed seed oil ('egoma-abura') is rich in α-linolenic acid and popular as a health food. Cultivated in Fukushima, Iwate, and other regions.
Identification Points
- ✓Large ovate leaves with serrated margins; shiso-like but stronger fragrance
- ✓Square stems with opposite leaves
- ✓Small white to pale purple flowers on spikes in autumn
Habitat
Cultivated (fields, home gardens)
Season
August to October (flowers); October to November (seed harvest)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Ovate
Growth form
Herb
Flower color
White
Habitat
Cultivated
Phylogenetic Positionシソ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Lamiales > Lamiaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene
Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification