Beefsteak Plant

On Oct 15, 2014, OldChurchEggery from Mechanicsville, VA wrote:

Perilla mint is a horribly invasive plant in my part of Virginia. Some people might find the plant "aromatic" but I think that's an awfully generous way of saying the plant reeks. Even after it has dried up for the season, walking through a patch of it stirs up the overpowering peppery-basil smell. We have livestock at our place and this plant is toxic to them. It does pull out easily but unfortunately, the bees love and pollinate it so much that anything you miss becomes a prolific seeder.

On Jul 14, 2014, Shirrush from Ramat Gan,
Israel wrote:

We have the green variety growing profusely just about everywhere we threw seeds in the community garden. It is being harvested and consumed, and most members have at least tried it. I'm waiting for culinary R&D reports from them, but I am not too enthusiastic about Green Shiso's overly dominant taste.
The purple variety, or Beefsteak Plant, is altogether a different story. I've tried to germinate seeds dozens of time, from at least 5 different accessions obtained through international seed exchanges. Only one of these deigned to give me a couple of sprouts, of which only one survived and is developing quite nicely. Is it self-fertile, or should I keep sending away valuable and validated seeds in the hope that one day I'll get it to germinate and produce seeds locally?

On Mar 11, 2014, coriaceous from ROSLINDALE, MA wrote:

I used to be partial to the purple-leaf strain, but after growing it once in pots I found it turned into a persistent annual weed. After more than a decade, I'm still weeding it out of the beds. It's very aggressive and outcompetes many perennials, and here the seeds in the soil seedbank are very long-lived. I wish that all it took to get rid of it were to pull up the seedlings for a season before they go to seed.

I'm not immortal, and I have no doubt that its seeds will outlive me---and I'll have no control over how this land is cared for after I die.

A pretty plant, but there are far too many other pretty plants that are less work. I'll never plant this again deliberately in any garden.

Coleus makes an excellent substitute, unless you want to ... read moreeat it.

This species is highly toxic to many animals, including horses, cattle, goats, rats, mice, and hamsters. It is responsible for fatal livestock poisonings when it invades pasturage.

This plant's invasive behavior has alarmed many organizations concerned with preserving natural areas, including the US National Park Service and the US Forest Service. It has been reported as invasive of natural habitat in 8 states.

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/pefr.htm
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/weeds/beefsteak-...

On Sep 8, 2013, atcps from WOODLAWN, TN wrote:

Perilla is a plant that should never be grown because there are too many suitable replacements that don't disrupt and disturb native flora and fauna. This plant is all over in natural areas on my Tennessee property where it crowds out native species. Additionally, I never ever see insects or anything eat it or get any benefit from it. I am trying my best to eradicate it and if any of my friends ever offered it to me they would soon be ex-friends.

On Jan 31, 2011, vasue from Charlottesville, VA wrote:

Recently identified the purple-tinted "mystery mint" that's grown here for years as Perilla. Love this plant (as do hummingbirds, butterflies, small bees & tiny wasps when it blooms) & the neutral rating only reflects its prolific self-sowing. Be aware that bloom stallks grow from every stem node & hundreds of tiny blooms on each plant produce thousands of seeds, but unwanteds are easilly pulled at any stage. Although this is a windy country bluff, notice few sprout away from the beds where they are welcome in moderation. Pest insects, deer & critters leave them alone & they protect roses & other susceptible ornamentals in this organic no-spray garden. Ones in shade grow 3' but those in fertile watered soil grow more than 5' high & 2' wide if uncrowded. Happy & majestic plants!

On Sep 9, 2009, natas from North East, MD (Zone 6a) wrote:

For those of you who don't know what to do with Beefsteak/perilla leaves, they are a suitable replacement for basil in most recipes, including pesto and pizza.

On Dec 15, 2008, arthurb3 from Raleigh, NC (Zone 7b) wrote:

These make a nice hedge and if you cut the flowers off or cut them down before the seeds ripen it will help to prevent them from comming up everywere. Then the plants are very useful in the compost pile or to use a green manure to turn in to the garden if you practice green manure rotation. The fiberous roots really help airate the soil.

On Sep 3, 2008, creekwalker from Benton County, MO (Zone 5a) wrote:

I LOVE this plant! It is not native to the US but was brought here by Asian Immigrants in the late 1800's. I think it smells wonderful. It's edible and medicinal. It has been used for centuries in Oriental medicine as an antiasthmatic, antibacterial, antidote, antimicrobial, antipyretic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitussive, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, emollient, expectorant, pectoral, restorative, stomachic and tonic. The plant constituents confirm these uses in alternative medicine and ongoing studies have revealed that this plant is useful in curing many cancers as well as various other diseases and disorders.

I have never seen it be invasive to the point of taking anything over, seems to co-exist with other native flora here. I am so glad I have it growin... read moreg here. :-)

On Sep 8, 2005, Breezymeadow from Culpeper, VA (Zone 7a) wrote:

This plant, in both green & red variations, is naturalized here in Culpeper, VA, & I have several plants coming up in partial to full shade uncultivated areas of my property, some of which I'm planning on potting up.

While I haven't cooked with it yet, I do find it pleasant to nibble on when I'm working outdoors, & do plan to begin using it in both Korean & Japanese dishes. The taste, to me, is a mild mint/licorice.

On Jul 2, 2005, IO1 from Waaaay Down South, GA wrote:

This is a harty plant which requires little care and makes a beautiful container plant. It grows well in sunny conditions without requiring an excessive amount of water. It is not bothered by any sort of insects that I've noticed. Although mine has not bloomed, it's still mid summer, so it's a bit early yet.

On Nov 26, 2003, Fleurs from Columbia, SC wrote:

Easily grown from seed, Perilla frutescens 'Atropurpurea' was like a coleus plant but a coleus which thrived in full sun, heat and humidity! The deep purple-bronze leaves kept their lustre all summer long. Once established, the Perilla needed only occasional pinching to keep it full and bushy. Water needs were average, and remarkably, insects ignored the plant.

On Aug 8, 2003, Ladyfern from Jeffersonville, IN (Zone 6a) wrote:

I love the accent the dark, ruffly foliage provides in the garden. It gets 3' tall for me in some places. Tolerates drought, clay soil, and shade. I've never noticed bug damage to the foliage. Once it starts bolting in the fall, though, it loses a lot of its attractiveness. And once the plants begin to set seed, I definitely pull them out since they self seed PROLIFICALLY! But this way, the self-seeding they do is manageable.

On Mar 20, 2001, JJsgarden from Northern Piedmont, NC (Zone 7b) wrote:

Perilla is a member of the mint family. It has square stems,
deep reddish-purple leaves with a bronze metallic sheen.

The plant grows 18-36" tall and has pale lavender, pink,
or white flowers which grow in 3-6" long spikes. The flowers
are rather insignificant when compared to the beauty of
the foliage. It is fragrant when bruised or crushed.

P. frutescens 'Crispa' has bronze or purple leaves with highly
wrinkled margins.

P. frutescens 'Atropurpurea' has dark purple leaves.