Shiso | |
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Red shiso | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Lamiaceae |
Genus: | Perilla |
Species: | P. frutescens |
Variety: | P. f. var. crispa |
Trinomial name | |
Perilla frutescens var. crispa (Thunb.) H.Deane |
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Synonyms | |
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Perilla frutescens var. crispa, also called shiso (/ˈʃiːsoʊ/, from Japanese シソ) is a variety of species Perilla frutescens of the genus Perilla, belonging to the mint family, Lamiaceae. Shiso is a perennial plant that may be cultivated as an annual in temperate climates. The plant occurs in red (purple-leaved) and green-leaved forms. There are also frilly, ruffled-leaved forms called chirimen-jiso and forms that are red only on top, called katamen-jiso.
This herb was previously known as the "beefsteak plant", a mostly obsolete name. It is also sometimes referred to by its genus name "perilla", which is ambiguous, as it is also inclusive of the Perilla frutescens, which is a different culinary cultigen.
In Japan, it is called shiso (紫蘇/シソ; [ɕiso̞]). In Vietnam, the plant is called tía tô ([tiɜ˧ˀ˦ to˧˧]). The Japanese name shiso and the Vietnamese tía tô are cognates, both a loan word from zǐsū (紫苏/紫蘇), which means Perilla frutescens in Chinese. (Perilla frutescens var. crispa is called huíhuísū (回回苏/回回蘇) in Chinese.) The first character 紫 means "purple", and the second 蘇 means "to be resurrected, revived, rehabilitated". Traditionally in Japan shiso denoted the purple-red form. In recent years green is considered typical, and red considered atypical.