- Family:
- Pedaliaceae R.Br.
Sesamum L.

[FSOM]
M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS
- Morphology General Habit
- Annual or sometimes perennial herbs, rarely shrubs
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves sessile or petiolate, entire, lobed or partite, often varying on the same plant
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, shortly pedicellate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla-tube obliquely campanulate, constricted at the base, limb slightly 2-lipped, lowest lobe largest and longest, limb and tube often with nectar guides such as blotches, streaks or dots
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
- Anthers with parallel thecae
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary 2(–3)-celled, the cells almost completely divided by a false septum; ovules numerous, 1-seriate in each compartment
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruits oblong leathery capsules with an apical beak, adaxial carpel often tardily and incompletely dehiscent, retaining at its base some seeds for a long time
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds numerous, obovate, winged or wingless; testa smooth or rugose, often with a characteristic sculpturing.
- Distribution
- About 30 species, all native of the arid parts Africa south of the Sahara, except for sect. Chamaesesamum with one species in India and Sri Lanka.
[FTEA]
Pedaliaceae, A. Bruce. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1953
- Morphology General Habit
- Annual or perennial, erect or procumbent herbs
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves sessile or petiolate, entire, lobed or partite, often varying on the same plant
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, shortly pedicellate, white, pink or purple, sometimes spotted within
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx persistent or deciduous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Pedicels usually short, with nectarial glands at the base
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla foxglove-like, obliquely campanulate, limb sub-bilabiate, lowest lobe the longest
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Filaments slender; anthers dorsifixed, cells parallel, connective gland-tipped
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
- Disc annular, regular
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary 2-celled, subcylindrical; cells divided almost to the apex by a false septum; ovules numerous, 1-seriate in each division
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Capsule oblong or sub-obconical, grooved, beaked at the apex
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds numerous, obovate, compressed, winged or wingless, smooth or rugose.
[FZ]
Pedaliaceae, H. D. Ihlenfeldt. Flora Zambesiaca 8:3. 1988
- Morphology General Habit
- Annual or perennial, erect herbs, sometimes shrubs (not in the Flora Zambesiaca area) Leaves sessile or petiolate, lamina entire, lobed or digitate, often varying on the same plant.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, shortly pedicellate with extra-floral nectaries (reduced flowers) at the base.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx persistent or deciduous.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla white, pink or purple, obliquely campanulate, limb sub-bilabiate, lowest lobe the longest.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
- Anthers dorsifixed, thecae parallel, connective gland-tipped.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
- Disk annular, regular.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary bilocular, subcylindrical; loculi divided almost to the apex by a false septum; ovules numerous, uniseriate in each division.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruits longitudinally dehiscent capsules, cultrate to narrowly oblong or obconical in lateral view, 4-sulcate, rostrate at the apex.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds numerous, obovate, compressed, winged or with a double, rarely single fringe, testa smooth or rugose.
[FTEA]
Pedaliaceae, A. Bruce. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1953
- Morphology General Habit
- Perennial herb with trailing procumbent branches, very variable in leaf-shape, pubescence and indentation
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers solitary in the leaf-axils, with nectarial glands at the base of the pedicels
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla-tube obliquely campanulate, curved, limb sub-bilabiate, 5-lobed, upper and lateral lobes sub-equal, lowest lobe longest
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Anthers oblong, dorsifixed; filaments filiform, free from the corolla-tube
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary slightly compressed, 2-celled and 2-horned at the apex, cells completely divided by a false septum into 4 compartments each containing 2 ovules
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit woody, indehiscent, more or less disc-shaped with a raised 2-horned central portion on the upper surface
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds 2 in each compartment.
[FZ]
Pedaliaceae, H. D. Ihlenfeldt. Flora Zambesiaca 8:3. 1988
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds dark brown to black, obovate to oblanceolate in outline, 2, (not in the Flora Zambesiaca area) 3, (not in the Flora Zambesiaca area) 4, or 5 seeds in each loculus.
- Morphology General Habit
- Herb with a persistent woody main root, from which 5–7 prostrate annual stems bearing numerous lateral branchlets arise; whole plant subglabrous to villous and covered with mucilage-glands.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves very variable in shape, indument and indentation, long-petiolate to subsessile; lamina narrowly to broadly ovate, pinnatipartite to pinnatilobed or deeply crenate to serrate, the inferior surface very densely covered with mucilage-glands.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, pendent, on long erect pedicels carrying the flowers above the plane of the leaves; flowers white to pink or mauve, occasionally violet or yellow.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla tube obliquely campanulate, curved, slightly saccate at the base in the adaxial side; limb sub-bilabiate; the upper and lateral lobes subequal, the anterior lobe enlarged and with dark stripes or lines of dots running down into the tube.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens 4, inserted near the base of the tube; staminodium absent; anthers of the shorter pair of stamens just included in the corolla tube, anthers of the longer pair of stamens just exserted from the corolla tube; thecae parallel.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary bilocular, false septa (not in the Flora Zambesiaca area) present or absent.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit woody, indehiscent, longitudinally much compressed, therefore disk-like; the central portion distinctly or only indistinctly raised, with two erect conical spines from near the centre, and the fruit easily detachable (forming a "trample bur").
[FTEA]
Pedaliaceae, A. Bruce. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1953
- Morphology General Habit
- Erect or decumbent herbs or small shrubs
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves opposite or sub-opposite, petiolate, lanceolate, elliptic or obovate, entire, dentate or lobulate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers solitary in the upper leaf-axils
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx-lobes persistent, subequal or the posterior smaller
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla-tube shortly tubular at the very base then inflated and obliquely campanulate; limb sub-bilabiate; upper lip suberect, shortly 2-lobed; lower lip subhorizontal, 3-lobed with the central lobe the longest
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
- Anther-cells parallel; connective gland-tipped
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary subverrucose, 2–4 celled; cells divided by false septa into 4–8 compartments with 1–3 erect ovules in each compartment; disc circular, rather unequally thickened
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit indehiscent, ovoid to subglobose, beaked or not, hard and woody, densely covered with stout spines, divided into 4–8 compartments each containing 1–3 seeds
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds erect, oblong to elongate-ovoid, sometimes subtriquetrous at the base; testa smooth or wrinkled.
[FTEA]
Pedaliaceae, A. Bruce. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1953
- Morphology General Habit
- Erect or procumbent, annual or perennial herbs
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves membranous, petiolate, often polymorphic
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers solitary in the leaf-axils, shortly pedicellate, red, pink, lilac, mauve or yellow, with nectarial glands at the base of the pedicels (Fig. 6/6 & 7)
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx often persistent
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla obliquely campanulate; limb sub-bilabiate; upper and lateral lobes short subequal, lowest lobe the longest
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Filaments slender; anther-cells oblong, parallel
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
- Disc annular, subequal
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary subcylindrical, slightly compressed, 2-celled; cells divided by a false septum almost to the apex; ovules numerous, 1-seriate in each compartment
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Capsule oblong, compressed, rounded or truncate at the apex and horned at the angles (horns rarely suppressed), splitting loculicidally
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds numerous, compressed, obovate to suborbicular with a narrow margin and a smooth or wrinkled centre portion.
[FZ]
Pedaliaceae, H. D. Ihlenfeldt. Flora Zambesiaca 8:3. 1988
- Morphology General Habit
- Annual or short-lived perennial herbs, or (not in the Flora Zambesiaca area) small shrubs, erect, branched, sometimes semi-prostrate; leaves and stems more or less densely covered with mucilage-glands and hairs.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves opposite, petiolate; lamina very variable, circular, ovate, cordate, reniform or lanceolate, hastate or tri-lobed, often polymorphic, margins nearly entire, crenate or serrate; (superior and inferior leaves often much smaller and simplified).
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers shortly pedicellate, solitary in the leaf-axils, pendent, white, pink or lilac, the throat usually less intensively coloured.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla tube funnel-shaped, the base on the adaxial side slightly gibbous; limb sub-bilabiate; the upper and lateral lobes short and subequal, the anterior lobe enlarged, often yellow, with dark stripes or lines of dark spots running down into the throat.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens four, included, inserted near the base of the tube; staminodium absent; thecae parallel.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary bilocular, each loculus divided by a false septum almost to the apex, each compartment with numerous ovules, uniseriate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a loculicidally dehiscent capsule, laterally compressed, obtuse or truncate at the apex, with two lateral horns (sometimes not very conspicuous) at the angles of the apex.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds numerous, spreading or ascending, obovate in outline, usually black when ripe.
Native to:
Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caprivi Strip, Central African Repu, Chad, Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Free State, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., India, Ivory Coast, Jawa, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, New Guinea, New South Wales, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Queensland, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Australia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Himalaya, Western Australia, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe
Introduced into:
Afghanistan, Alabama, Andaman Is., Belize, Bolivia, Borneo, Brazil North, Bulgaria, California, Cambodia, Caroline Is., China South-Central, China Southeast, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, East Himalaya, El Salvador, Fiji, Florida, French Guiana, Galápagos, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Hainan, Honduras, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Krym, Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Louisiana, Malaya, Marianas, Massachusetts, Mauritius, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southwest, Missouri, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, New Jersey, New York, Nicobar Is., Ohio, Oman, Pakistan, Pennsylvania, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Carolina, South European Russi, Spain, Sumatera, Suriname, Tadzhikistan, Texas, Thailand, Transcaucasus, Trinidad-Tobago, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wisconsin, Yemen, Yugoslavia
- Sesamum abbreviatum Merxm.
- Sesamum alatum Thonn.
- Sesamum angolense Welw.
- Sesamum angustifolium (Oliv.) Engl.
- Sesamum calycinum Welw.
- Sesamum capense Burm.f.
- Sesamum celebicum (Blume) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum eriocarpum (Decne.) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum eugeniae (F.Muell.) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum forbesii (Decne.) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum imperatricis (Vent.) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum indicum L.
- Sesamum integribracteatum (Engl.) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum latifolium J.B.Gillett
- Sesamum lepidotum Schinz
- Sesamum marlothii Engl.
- Sesamum papillosum (W.Fitzg.) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum parviflorum Seidenst.
- Sesamum pedalioides Welw. ex Hiern
- Sesamum prostratum Retz.
- Sesamum radiatum Thonn. ex Hornem.
- Sesamum reniforme (Abels) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum rigidum Peyr.
- Sesamum rosaceum (Engl.) J.C.Manning & Magee
- Sesamum saxicola (E.A.Bruce) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum schinzianum Asch.
- Sesamum senecioides (Klotzsch) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum sesamoides (Endl.) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum trilobum (Bernh.) Byng & Christenh.
- Sesamum triphyllum Welw. ex Asch.
- Sesamum zanguebarium (Lour.) Byng & Christenh.
Sesamum L. appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status | Has image? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ash [522], Ethiopia | 58525.000 | No |
First published in Sp. Pl.: 634 (1753)
Accepted by
- Boulos, L. (2002). Flora of Egypt 3: 1-373. Al Hadara Publishing, Cairo.
Literature
Flora of West Tropical Africa
- —F.T.A. 4, 2: 550.
Flora Zambesiaca
- Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 282 (1754).
- Sp. Pl. ed. 1: 634 (1753)
Flora of Somalia
- Flora Somalia, (2000) Author: by H.-D. Ihlenfeldt [updated by M. Thulin 2008]
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Gen. Pl., ed. 5, 282 (1754)
-
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of Somalia
Flora of Somalia
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
-
Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
-
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0