Perilla frutescens var. japonica

Japanese: エゴマ(荏胡麻) - エゴマ（英語表記）Perilla frutescens var. japonica

It is an annual plant of the Lamiaceae family, native to Southeast Asia. It is considered to be a variant of the same species as perilla (P. frutescens var. crispa) . Its appearance is similar to that of the Japanese perilla, but it is slightly larger, reaching a height of 1m, and its stem is thick and has noticeable white hairs on it. The whole plant has a unique odor, which is quite different from that of perilla, and some people find it unpleasant. The inflorescence is shorter than that of perilla, the flowers are densely packed, and the calyx is slightly larger. The corolla is white with a slight purple tinge. The seeds contain oil, which can be squeezed to make "perilla oil." This oil is not edible, but is a drying oil that is used for oil paper and umbrellas, like tung oil, and has also been used as kerosene for lighting. It was introduced to Japan via China long ago for this purpose, and is still sometimes cultivated today, but it can also grow wild in mountain wetlands. Another variety of this species is the lemon perilla (P. frutescens var. citriodora ), which grows wild in the mountains of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. It also has angular stems and opposite leaves similar to shiso, and the whole plant has a lemon-like scent. The leaves are thin and have hairs on both sides, especially on the veins, and glandular dots on the underside.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

シソ科の一年草で，東南アジア原産。シソ P. frutescens var. crispaとは同一種内の変種関係とされる。外形もアオジソに似ているが，やや大型で高さ 1mに達し，茎も太く，また茎に白い毛が目立つ。植物体全体に特有の臭気があるが，シソの香りとはかなり違い，人によっては不快臭とされる。花穂はシソに比べて短く，花が密集し，萼はやや大きい。花冠は白くわずかに紫色を帯びる。種子に油を含み，しぼって「荏の油」をとる。この油は食用にはならないが乾性油で桐油と同様油紙やから傘などに用い，また照明用の灯油に使われたこともある。この用途のため古く中国を経て日本に伝えられ，現在でもときに栽培されるが，山の中の湿地などに野生化していることもある。同じく本種と同一種内の別変種とされるものにレモンエゴマ P. frutescens var. citriodoraがあり，これは本州，四国，九州などの山地に自生している。やはりシソに似て角張った茎と対生する葉をもち，全草がレモンに似た香りをもつ。葉質は薄く両面，特に脈上に毛があり，裏面には腺点がある。

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