Dec., 1911.] 
Ohio Grown Per ilia. 
427 
OHIO GROWN PERILLA. 
Chas. P. Fox. 
The Perilla plant is an indigenous Labiatae of China, Japan 
and India. Several varieties of Perilla nankensis are grown as 
ornamental plants. Perilla ocimoides is not an ornamental plant, 
but is grown to a large extent in Japan and China for its oil. 
Perilla ocimoides is a tall, rough plant with square, much branched 
stems, simple, ovate leaves of light green. Blooms in September. 
Flowers, small, white, blotched with purple, numerous, in compact 
spike. Seeds ripen soon after flowering. Perilla seeds are 1-16 
inch in diameter, irregular, about the same color, and much resem- 
ble those of the radish. They have a pleasant, slightly sweet, 
oily taste. Outer surface of seed reticulated. All portions of the 
plant contain a volatile oil or camphor, with strong minty odor. 
The seed contains a fixed oil similar in taste, odor and drying 
qualities to our common linseed oil. In Manchuria, this oil is 
used for edible purposes. In Japan, the drying qualities of the 
oil are utilized in waterproofing paper umbrellas, in the manufac- 
ture of paints, varnishes and lacquers, in making transparent 
paper for windows, and in fabricating artificial leather. Its use 
in manufacture of window paper is very important. Commercial 
name of this oil is Yo-Goma. 
In September, 1910, U. S. Consul Sammon, at Yokahama, 
Japan, reported on the uses of this plant and suggested its intro- 
duction into the United States. According to this report, (Daily 
Trade Reports, Bureau of Manufactures, Sept. 14, 1910), the 
plant thrives on the sandy soils of the colder portions of Japan 
and China. 
In Japan, 300,000 bushels are produced annually. About 20 
bushels per acre is the average yield. The oil is obtained by 
pressing, a bushel of seed producing a gallon of oil. The oil has 
a ready market at 35c per sho or 70c per gallon. The seed sells 
at 10c per pound. 
Following the suggestion of Mr. Sammon, we imported, 
direct from Japan, early in 1911, a small quantity of this seed. 
Seed sown in mid April on the dry, sandy upland soil of West 
Akron. Its growth during the following summer, indicated that 
it is not a drought resisting plant. The plant develops, at an 
early date, a strong root system made up of many fine rootlets. 
These roots are surface feeders and, on this account, the plant is 
easily affected by dry weather. On moist, clayey soil the growth 
was much better. Estimates made on the basis of a small area 
gave a yield of 400 pounds of clean seed per acre. Our crop did 
not fill well. Only about 80% of the seed pockets contained a 
1. Presented at the Twenty-first Annual Meeting of the Ohio Acad, of 
Sci., December 1, 1911, Columbus. 
