Shiso (Perilla)

Perilla frutescens (known in Chinese as zǐsū 紫蘇) is the source of Japanese shiso and Vietnamese tía tô. English common names include beefsteak plant, perilla mint, Chinese basil, and wild basil. Purple-leaf varieties are also called purple mint. In the Ozarks, it is known as rattlesnake weed. The genus name Perilla can be ambiguous: var. frutescens is called egoma (Japan) or deulkkae (Korea). Red-leaf shiso was once named Perilla nankinensis. The plant likely originated in mountainous regions of India, China, or Southeast Asia.