We selectively prepared a metastable phase of perylene crystals (beta-phase) by a physical vapor transport method under atmospheric pressure. The fluorescence lifetime (tau(F)) was determined to be 12.3 ns and the annihilation rate constant (gamma(ss)) of singlet exciton was estimated to be 3 x 10(-10) cm(3) s(-1) from fluorescence decay profile at high excitation density. The fluorescence quantum yield (Phi(F)) was determined to be 0.6 and Phi(F) decreased dramatically with decreasing wavelength below 300 nm, suggesting that fission from a highly excited singlet state into two triplet states occurred. The radiative lifetime tau(R) (=tau(F)/Phi(F)) was 20 ns, which indicates that the fluorescence originated from the excimer with nonparallel configuration in the crystals.