Perilla

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Perilla (lat. Perilla) Is a monotypic genus of annual plants of the Yasnotkovye family. Other names are shiso, suza, or Japanese parsley. Japan is considered to be the homeland of the plant, although some agronomists claim that perilla came to us from China. Since ancient times, large plantations of perilla were located on the territory of both countries. In Russia, the culture began to be cultivated relatively recently, first in the Far East, then in Siberia, in the Urals and the European part of the country. The plant got to the USA and Canada only at the end of the 19th century, where it quickly spread and in some areas became a common weed.

Characteristics of culture

Perilla is a herbaceous highly branching plant up to 1 m high, with a straight tetrahedral ascending stem. The leaves are curly or wrinkled, with slightly toothed or strongly toothed edges, opposite. The lower leaves are rather large, ovate, with long petiolate, the upper leaves are slightly oblong, short petiolate or almost sessile. Depending on the variety, the leaves can have a dark purple, violet, pale green, violet-burgundy, black or red color, there are also two-color perilla.

The flowers are axillary, collected in racemose or paniculate inflorescences, sitting on short hairy pedicels. Bracts linear-lanceolate, pubescent. The calyx is goblet or bell-shaped, two-lipped. Corolla indistinctly two-lipped. The fruit is a dry multi-root, splitting into four rounded parts with a mesh surface. Seeds are brown or light orange, small. All parts of the plants have a distinct aroma of pepper basil and refreshing lemon mint.

Growing conditions

It is advisable to grow perilla on loose, moderately moist, alkaline or slightly acidic soils with a high nutrient content. The culture does not accept the culture of sandy, heavy clayey, waterlogged and saline soils. The location is preferable sunny, or with a light openwork shade. A solid shadow will negatively affect the development of plants; it will not work to get a good harvest of grass in such an area.

Sowing

In Russia, perilla is grown to obtain tender greens, and not to obtain seeds, therefore, the seedling method is most often used. This is necessary in order to speed up the process of healthy and tasty leaves. The seeds of the culture germinate very slowly, before sowing, they must be soaked in warm water for 48 hours, while the water must be changed every 8-10 hours.

After processing, the seeds are dried and sown in seedling boxes filled with fertile soil mixed with peat and humus. Seeds are sown thickly, and subsequently the strongest specimens are selected and planted in a greenhouse or in the ground under a film. The distance between plants should be at least 20-30 cm. Perilla can be grown as an ornamental plant, they are suitable for creating a background for flower crops and border plantings.

Care

Handrail maintenance does not cause any particular difficulties. It consists in systematic weeding, watering, fertilizing and loosening the aisles. For feeding, you can use liquid mineral fertilizers, they are applied after each cut. Perilla is resistant to diseases and pests, therefore it does not need preventive treatments.

Harvesting and storage

The first cut is carried out in the middle of summer, without waiting for flowering. Shoots with leaves are cut off at a height of 10-12 cm from the soil surface. During the season, as a rule, 2-3 cuts are carried out. The yield of a crop largely depends on climatic conditions and careful care, usually from 1 sq. m. plantings are harvested 0.5-5 kg. Fresh herbs are stored for 7-10 days. You should not use plastic bags, it is better to give preference to glass or plastic containers with scanty holes.

Application

First of all, perilla is valued as an oil plant, because its seeds contain about 40-45% of the oil used for the production of drying oil, varnishes, printing inks and waterproof fabrics. In some Asian countries, perilla oil is used for medicinal purposes. Perilla is also widely used in cooking, its leaves and stems are added as a spice to a variety of dishes.