Beefsteak plant is a flowering, annual, edible in the Lamiaceae (mint) family native to the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. It has showy flowers and fragrant purple-red leaves that can resemble raw meat, hence the common name. The genus name Perilla comes from the Latin word pera meaning bag in reference to the shape of the fruiting calyx. While the specific epithet frutescens means shrubby or bushy. It grows best in full sun to partial shade in rich, moist to dry soil. This plant is very resistant to heat and drought. It is listed as invasive in VA WV, TN and KY. This species is classified as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council. This plant grows quickly and aggressively up to 3 feet tall and 1 1/2 feet wide. Pinching off the flowers before they go to seed will help slow the spread of their wind-dispersed seeds. When left to its own, it will self-seed prolifically. It is found growing along roadsides and disturbed areas, spreading into natural spaces and out competing endemic plants. Quick ID: Opposite, ovate leaves with serrate margin and musky mint fragrance when crushed. Small bell-shaped flowers appear in spikes in leaf axils. Square stems with short hairs. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. It can be toxic to cattle.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Wet
Available space
Less than 12 inches
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 3 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf value
Edible; Fragrant
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Wrinkled ovate opposite leaves up to 4" long. Purple or red leaves resemble the color of uncooked beef. Edible and aromatic.
Flower color
White
Flower form
Spike
Flower shape
Bell; Lipped
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small, two-lipped bell-shaped white in spike-like inflorescences that emerge from leaf axils up to 4" tall Blooms appear in the late summer through mid-fall and resemble nettles.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
.06 inch reticulate nutlet gray-brown
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Square with purple or green four grooves covered in short hairs, fragrant
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Himalayas to Southeast Asia
Distribution
Eastern United States and Canada.
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves
Edibility
Leaves as a salad herb, flavoring
Uses (ethnobotany)
The seeds are often harvested for human consumption.