Sesamum indicum L.

Sesame; Beniseed

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Sesame is an introduced herbaceous annual in the Sesame family (Pedaliaceae). It has been cultivated for thousands of years and the native range is uncertain. It is believed to be native to Asia or Africa, possibly India or Ethiopia. In Alabama it has been found in the southern half of the state. Sesame is cultivated for seed and oil, and is sometimes included in bird seed mixes. It has been found on roadsides, around the edges of fields, beneath bird feeders, and in flower beds. It is an annual with a tap root. Stems are erect, 2-5 feet in height, 4-angled, finely pubescent, and green in color. The plants may be branched or unbranched. Leaves are petiolate, opposite or alternate in arrangement, lanceolate, ovate, or three-parted in outline, pubescent on the upper surface, with entire to incised margins. Drooping white, pink, or purple flowers are produced in the axils of the upper leaves. The persistent calyx is glandular pubescent and green in color. The corolla is slightly curved and pubescent on the external surface. There are yellow markings within the throat. The fruit is an oblong, pubescent capsule. Conspicuous yellow extrafloral nectaries occur on the stem. They are roundish in outline and release a sugary solution that attracts ants. The ants attack other insects and help to protect the plant from herbivores.—A. Diamond.

Linnaeus published Sesamum indicum and S. orientale on the same page in 1753. When considered a single species, S. indicum has been conserved against S. orientale.

Not Native

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