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Perilla frutescens

beefsteak plant

Attracts Pollinators Deer Resistant Fragrant (strong)Container Friendly

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

Overview

Beefsteak plant is an upright annual herb in the mint family, growing 1-3 feet (30-90 cm) tall and 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) wide on square, branching stems. The broad, oval leaves are 3-5 inches (8-12 cm) long with deeply toothed margins and a wrinkled surface, ranging from green to deep purple-red depending on the strain. Crushed foliage gives off a strong, spicy scent that varies between forms, from cinnamon-like to anise-like. In late summer and autumn slender spikes of small white to pale-lilac two-lipped flowers rise above the leaves. Perilla frutescens is grown both as a culinary herb, whose leaves season East Asian dishes, and as a foliage plant for its colored leaves. It self-sows heavily and has naturalized across the southeastern United States, where it can crowd pastures and woodland edges and is treated as a weed. The plant contains perilla ketones that are toxic to cattle, horses, and other grazing animals, and large quantities can cause breathing distress in livestock. It grows quickly in warm weather and dies with the first hard frost.

Native Range

Native to East and Southeast Asia, including China, Korea, Japan, and parts of India. Perilla frutescens has long been cultivated as a herb and oilseed across the region and has naturalized in warm parts of North America.

Suggested Uses

Grown in herb and vegetable gardens for its edible leaves and in borders and containers for its green or purple foliage. The colored-leaf forms work as bedding and as a foliage contrast among flowers. It also appears in cottage and pollinator plantings, though its toxicity to livestock keeps it away from pasture.

How to Identify

Recognized by square stems and broad, toothed, wrinkled leaves that are green or purple-red and strongly aromatic when crushed. Late-season spikes carry small white to pale-lilac two-lipped flowers, each backed by a ribbed calyx. The mint-family scent, square stems, and large opposite leaves separate it from similar weedy herbs such as the Mentha spp. mints.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1' - 3'

Width/Spread1' - 2'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~8 weeks

Summer Fall

Blooms from late summer into autumn, mainly August to October. Slender flower spikes form at the stem tips and in upper leaf axils, opening from the base upward. Flowering is followed by abundant tiny nutlets that scatter and self-sow widely.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

white to pale lilac

Foliage Description

green to purple-red

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam sand clay

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun to part shade in average, moist, well-drained soil with a pH from 5.5 to 7.5. Seed is sown in place or started indoors and set out after frost, sprouting fast in warm soil. The plant tolerates heat and humidity and needs steady moisture to keep its leaves full and unblemished. It needs little feeding, and rich soil produces lush leaves with a milder scent. Because it self-sows heavily, seedlings appear in numbers the following year and can spread into nearby ground. Pinching the growing tips keeps plants bushy and delays flowering for a longer leaf harvest.

Pruning

Growing tips are pinched through summer to force branching and hold back bloom for continued leaf production. Flower spikes are removed as they form to limit the heavy self-seeding. Spent plants are pulled after the first frost blackens the foliage.