Perilla frutescens

Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton (syn.: P. ocymoides L.) (Himalayas to E-As.) – A rare and ephemeral alien. First recorded in 1994 in the port of Antwerpen (but only non-flowering plants): scattered specimens at the Graandok, two specimens at the Straatsburgdok and numerous plants on a sandy land fil at the Eerste Havendok (Verloove & Vandenberghe 1998). Subsequently seen in abundance in a worked-up road verge in Sint-Denijs-Westrem in 1995 and near a grain mill in Schoten in 1997. At the latter locality Perilla frutescens was seen for the first time in flower (Verloove & Vandenberghe 1998). Less frequently seen in the past decade: single specimens were recorded in a road verge in Ardooie in 1998 and on a grain dump in Willebroek in 2000. Also regularly seen on the gravelly banks of river Maas (e.g. in 2003, 2011, 2013), from birdseed waste in Veurne (2008) and in a sandy roadside in the port area of Zeebrugge in 2013.

Most of these records were obviously related with birdseed. Elsewhere in Europe Perilla frutescens has been recorded as an escape from cultivation or as a soybean alien (Verloove & Vandenberghe 1998). Given its abundance Perilla frutescens might as well be a component (not an impurity) of some commercial birdseed mixtures. This is confirmed by several internet sources.

Selected literature:


Donmez A.A. (2002) Perilla: a new genus for Turkey. Turk. J. Bot. 26(4): 281-283. [available online at: http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/botany/issues/bot-02-26-4/bot-26-4-9-0109-1.pdf]

Guo F.G. & Wang S.Y. (2000) A study on variations under Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. in Yunnan (in Chinese). Bull. Bot. Res. (China) 20(3): 270-274.

Ito M. & Honda G. (1996) A taxonomic study of Japanese wild Perillla (Labiatae). J. Phytogeogr. Taxon. 44(1-2): 43-52.

Verloove F. & Vandenberghe C. (1998) Nieuwe en interessante voederadventieven voor de Belgische flora, hoofdzakelijk in 1997. Dumortiera 72: 18-36. [available online at: http://alienplantsbelgium.be/sites/alienplantsbelgium.be/files/dum72p18.pdf]

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith