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The "Inu-kouju" (Mosla punctulata) belongs to Lamiaceae (the Mint family). It is an annual herb that is native throughout Japan, as well as Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula and China. This herb grows on roadsides in mountains and fields, and it can reach 20-60 cm in height. The stems are quadrangular and tinged reddish puple. The leaves are ovate lanceolate and opposite with small toothed edges. The plae magenta flowers bloom here and there in the long clusters from September to October. In Taiwanese Chinese, it is called "石薺薴" and in Chinese "石薺薴" (shi qi zhu).
In Korean, it's called "deul-kkae-pul" (들깨풀). This is a compound word consisting of "perilla" (deul-kkae: 들깨) + "grass" (pul: 풀). Although its appearance and aroma resemble those of "perilla", the name comes from the fact that it is a wild herb that grows in fields.
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