beefsteak plant (Invasive Plants of Maryland)

beefsteak plant

Perilla frutescens

Summary ⁷

Perilla frutescens, commonly called perilla or Korean perilla, is a species of Perilla in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is an annual plant native to Southeast Asia and Indian highlands, and grown in the Korean peninsula, Southern China and India. Known as deulkkae (들깨) in Korean, the plant was introduced into Korea before the Unified Silla era, when it started to be widely cultivated.

Description and biology ⁸

Plant: small, freely-branching annual herb that grows to 18-30 in. high; stems four-sided and covered with short hairs.
Leaves: opposite, ovate, green to purple with toothed margins; distinctive musky mint-like odor.
Flowers, fruits and seeds: flowers are small, bell-shaped, white and purple with a distinctive ring of fine hairs along the bottom in terminal spikes or emerging from leaf axils; July and October.
Spreads: by seed that either drops close to parent plant or may be transported by wind or water.
Look-alikes: beefsteak plant superficially resembles basil and coleus and can be confused with other members of the mint family.

Ecological threat in the united states ⁹

Beefsteak plant has spread to natural areas, especially those experiencing some form of disturbance. Once established, it disrupts native ecosystems by pushing out native plants. It has toxic characteristics which may explain why very few herbivores feed on it. It is ordinarily avoided by cattle and has been implicated in cattle poisoning. Beefsteak plants are most toxic if cut and dried for hay late in the summer, during seed production.

Prevention and control ¹⁰

Do not purchase or plant beefsteak plant. Control is possible with long-term monitoring.

History in the united states ¹¹

Also called perilla mint, beefsteak plant is a traditional Asian crop used in cooking and is often planted as an ornamental. It readily escapes cultivation and has become a problematic invasive plant in natural areas across the mid-Atlantic region and elsewhere.

Sources and Credits

(c) Steven Severinghaus, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/horsepunchkid/8039403569/
(c) Zoya Akulova, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/imgs/512x768/0000_0000/1111/0247.jpeg
(c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10287799
(c) "<a href=""http://www.knps.org"">Kentucky Native Plant Society</a>. Scanned by <a href=""http://www.omnitekinc.com/"">Omnitek Inc</a>.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=pefr4_001_avd.tif
(c) "<a href=""http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/WLI/"">USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute</a>.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=pefr4_002_avp.tif
(c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10314427
Adapted by Kate Wagner from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perilla_frutescens
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22733806
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22733805
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22733807
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22733803

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beefsteak plant

Summary 7

Description and biology 8

Ecological threat in the united states 9

Prevention and control 10

History in the united states 11