Asian culinary herb shiso found growing wild in Alabama parking lot
iNaturalist: kbakkegard
Invasive Species
That scrappy purple-leaved weed poking through pavement cracks near big-box stores might be shiso, the same herb wrapping your sushi, and its spread into disturbed urban ground shows how fast a garden escapee can turn into a roadside regular.
Someone spotted beefsteak plant, a purple-leaved herb used in Japanese and Korean cooking, growing on its own near a Walmart in Homewood, Alabama. It got verified as a solid, research-grade sighting on iNaturalist, meaning experts agree on the identification. The plant is native to Asia but has been escaping gardens and spreading through disturbed soil across the southeastern US for years, and sightings like this help track exactly where it's showing up.
Key Findings
Observation verified as 'research-grade' on iNaturalist, meaning community identification consensus was reached
Location: Wildwood Walmart, Homewood, AL 35209, a disturbed urban commercial site typical of where this species naturalizes
Perilla frutescens (beefsteak plant/shiso) is native to East Asia but is considered naturalized and sometimes invasive in parts of the southeastern and eastern US
chevron_right Technical Summary
A research-grade sighting confirms beefsteak plant, an East Asian herb also known as shiso, growing wild in a Walmart parking lot in Homewood, Alabama. The find is a small but real data point tracking how this edible plant has slipped out of gardens and into ordinary urban lots across the South.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
beefsteak plant (Perilla frutescens) observed in Wildwood Walmart, Homewood, AL 35209, USA
Research-grade observation of beefsteak plant in Wildwood Walmart, Homewood, AL 35209, USA.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Perilla frutescens var. crispa, also known by its Japanese name shiso (紫蘇) from Chinese zisu, is a cultigen of Perilla frutescens, a herb in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is native to the mountainous regions of China and India, but is now found worldwide. The plant occurs in several forms, as def...