BEEFSTEAKPLANT
File Size: 48 KB
 
Perilla frutescens   (L. ) Britton
Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, Newton County, Missouri
Annual
Height: 8-10 inches
Family: Lamiaceae - Mint Family
Flowering Period:   August, September,October
Also Called: Perilla.
Stems: Square in cross section, ascending to erect, simple or branched distally, sparsely pubescent to pilose, sometimes glabrescent below.
Leaves: Cauline, opposite, simple; stipules absent; petiole .2 to 2.8 inches; blade broadly ovate to broadly elliptic, 1 to 6 inches long, .6 to 2.8 inches wide, base tapered to wedge-shaped, margins usually coarsely toothed, occasionally lacerate, tip acuminate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely puberulent, especially along veins.
Inflorescences: Spike-like racemes, .8 to 6 inches, terminal and axillary; bracts elliptic to ovate, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous.
Flowers: Calyx campanulate, 1/12 to 1/8 inch, tube 10-nerved, lobes 5, narrowly to broadly triangular, apex acuminate; corolla white to lavender or purple, 1/10 to 1/6 inch, weakly 2-lipped, lower lip 3-lobed, medial lobe slightly larger than lateral lobes, upper lip 2-lobed, flat; stamens 4, slightly exserted, filaments straight; style 1, basal; stigmas 2.
Fruits: Schizocarps comprising 2 to 4 mericarps; mericarps brown, globose, less than 1/12 inch, glabrous, finely reticulate.
Habitat: Open or shaded flood plains
Distribution: Principally east 1/2 of Kansas
Origin: Introduced
Uses: The seeds are a source of oil that was used in the manufacture of lacquer, artificial leather, paper umbrellas, printer's ink, and waterproof clothes.
Comments: Perilla native East India name and frutescens shrubby. Some cultivars of Perilla frutescens are grown for their bronze or purple foliage. Considered an invasive weed in some states.

Beefsteakplant
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Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, Newton County, Missouri
Beefsteakplant flowers
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Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, Newton County, Missouri
Beefsteakplant
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Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, Newton County, Missouri
Beefsteakplant calyces
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Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, Newton County, Missouri
Beefsteakplant leaf
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Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, Newton County, Missouri
Beefsteakplant leaf
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Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, Newton County, Missouri
Beefsteakplant habit
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Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, Newton County, Missouri