Sesamum latifolium
J. B. Gillett
PedaliaceaeSeeds/Nuts
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(c) leithallb, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by leithallb
(c) leithallb, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by leithallb
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds
The seeds are eaten. This species may be the ancestor of cultivated sesame.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. In Ethiopia it grows between 500-1,400 m above sea level.
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda,
Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How to Identify
A herb. It grows 60-120 cm tall. The stems are 4 sided and hairy. The leaves vary. Lower leaves are large and oval or heart shaped and 8-13 cm long by 9-18 cm wide. The upper leaves are smaller. They are oval and 2-5 cm long by 1-4 cm wide. They have teeth along the edge. The flowers are pale pink or mauve. The fruit capsule has short hairs and has 4 grooves. They are 2.7-3.1 cm long and 0.5 cm wide. The seeds are 3 mm long by 2 mm wide.
Notes
This may be the ancestor of cultivated sesame.
Names & Synonyms
Gnim jowok
References (1)
- Awas, T., 1997, A Study on the Ecology and Ethnobotany of Non-cultivated Food Plants and Wild Relatives of Cultivated crops in Gambella Region, Southwestern Ethiopia. Addis Ababa University. p 60
