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Perilla🌿
Perilla frutescens var. crispa
シソ
An annual herb native to East Asia, believed to have been used in Japan since the Jomon period. Available as red shiso and green shiso (ooba), it is widely used for coloring umeboshi (pickled plums), as a garnish, in tempura, and for juice. Its distinctive refreshing fragrance comes from perillaldehyde, which has preservative and antibacterial properties.
Identification Points
- ✓Leaves are ovate with serrate margins and a strong aroma
- ✓Red shiso has entirely reddish-purple leaves; green shiso (ooba) has green leaves
- ✓Stems are square (a characteristic of Lamiaceae)
- ✓White to pale purple bilabiate flowers bloom from summer to autumn
- ✓Erect growth habit, 50–100 cm tall
Habitat
Fields, home gardens, and roadsides (semi-naturalized populations also occur)
Season
June–September (peak season), August–October (flowering)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Growth form
Herb
Petal count
5 petals
Petal fusion
Fused
Habitat
Cultivated
Stipules
Absent
Ovary position
Superior
Compound type
Pinnate
Phylogenetic Positionシソ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Lamiales > Lamiaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene
Evolution Notes
Lamiaceae is characterized by bilabiate (lip-shaped) flowers and square stems, a group that has co-evolved extensively with insects (especially bees). Aromatic compounds evolved as defensive traits against herbivores.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification