Sesame (Sesamum indicum indicum)
Description
Sesame (Sesamum orientale) is an introduced annual broadleaf plant that grows 5–6 ft (155-185 cm) tall. It produces a 1–2 in (2.5–5cm) long white, bell-shaped inflorescence growing from the leaf axils (where the leaf stalk joins the stem). The blooms do not open all at once, but gradually, from the base of the stem upwards to the top of the plant. The flowers are both male and female and will self-pollinate. The seed is produced in a 1–1.5 in (2.5–3.8 cm) long, divided seed capsule that opens when the seeds are mature. There are 8 rows of seed within each seed capsule, and seed may be yellow, white, brown, or black (Morris, 2002). Due to the non-uniform, indeterminate nature of the bloom period, the reproductive, ripening, and drying phases of the seed tend to overlap. Seed lowest on the plant will mature first, even as the upper part of the plant is still flowering or has just formed seed capsules.
Taxonomic tree
-
Domain: Eukarya
-
-
Kingdom: Plantae
-
-
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
-
-
Class: Magnoliopsida
-
-
Order: Lamiales
-
-
Family: Pedaliaceae
-
-
Genus: Sesamum
-
-
-
-
-
-
