Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Sesamum indicum - Sesame

Edible Portion: Seeds, Leaves, Spice, Seeds - Oil, Vegetable

A small upright plant. It is an annual plant. It is erect and much branched. It grows 1-2 m tall. The stem is stout and 4 sided. It is furrowed along its length. It is densely covered with glandular hairs. The leaves are fine and downy. They vary in shape. The lower leaves have long stalks and are spear shaped often with lobes or a toothed edge. The leaf stalks are 3-11 cm long. The leaf blade is 4-20 cm long by 2-10 cm wide. Upper leaves are narrow and oblong. They are 0.5-2.5 cm wide. The flowers are pink and white. They occur in the axils of upper leaves. They occur either on their own or in groups or 2 or 3. They can be white, pink, purplish and with yellow spots and stripes. The fruit can be smooth or rough and there are 2 chambers in the capsule. The fruit are brown or purple. They are oblong and deeply grooved. The seeds are small and oval. They are 3 mm by 1.5 mm and vary in colour from white, yellow, grey, red, brown or black. The fully ripe pods burst open.