In English, it is sometimes called the beefsteak plant, because purple-leaf varieties resemble the blood-red color of meat. Other common names include perilla mint, Chinese basil, and wild basil. The alias wild coleus or summer coleus probably describe ornamental varieties. Red-leaf varieties are sometimes called purple mint. In the Ozarks, it is called rattlesnake weed, because the sound the dried stalks make when disturbed along a footpath is similar to a rattlesnake's rattle. The Japanese name shiso became part of the English lexicon in the 1990s, owing to the growing popularity of sushi.