View source for Sesamum indicum

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Pedaliaceae
|genus=Sesamum
|species=indicum
|common_name=Benne, Gingelly, Sesame
|name_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|habit=herbaceous
|habit_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|Min ht box=2
|Min ht metric=ft
|Max ht box=6
|Max ht metric=ft
|height_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|Min wd box=1
|Min wd metric=ft
|Max wd box=2
|Max wd metric=ft
|width_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|lifespan=annual
|life_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|exposure=sun
|sun_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|water=moist
|water_ref=Plants for a Future
|features=edible
|flowers=red, pink, white
|Temp Metric=°F
|min_zone=10
|usda_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|max_zone=12
|image=Sesamum indicum 1.jpg
|image_width=200
|image_caption=Sesame plants
}}
'''Sesame''' (''Sesamum indicum'') ({{pronEng|ˈsɛsəmi}}) is a [[flowering plant]] in the genus ''[[Sesamum]]''. Numerous wild relatives occur in [[Africa]] and a smaller number in [[India]]. It is widely [[naturalization (biology)|naturalized]] in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods.
The flowers of the sesame seed plant are yellow, though they can vary in colour with some being blue or purple.

It is an [[annual plant]] growing to {{convert|50|to|100|cm|ft|abbr=on}} tall, with opposite [[leaf|leaves]] {{convert|4|to|14|cm|in|abbr=on}} long with an entire margin; they are broad [[lanceolate]], to {{convert|5|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} broad, at the base of the plant, narrowing to just {{convert|1|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} broad on the flowering stem. The [[flower]]s are white to purple, tubular, {{convert|3|to|5|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, with a four-lobed mouth.

{{Inc|
Sesamum indicum, Linn. (S. orientale, Linn.). Plant 1-2 ft. high: lvs. variable, 3-5 in. long, oblong or lanceolate, the lower often 3-lobed or parted: corolla pale rose or white, 1 in. long, tubular, 5-cleft, the 2 lobes of the upper lip shorter. July. Tropics. B.M. 1688.—White- and black-seeded varieties have been known for at least two centuries. Runs wild in the extremes.
{{SCH}}
}}

==Cultivation==
It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in flower in July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Requires a well-drained porous soil and a warm sunny sheltered position[1, 238]. Sesame has been cultivated for its edible seed for over 5,000 years and is still widely grown in tropical and warm temperate zones[238]. There are many named varieties[183]. The British climate is probably too cool in the summer to successfully grow this crop, though some people have reported success[206]. An early sowing in the greenhouse and some protection when first planting it out will help. Sesame grows well with sweet corn but it grows badly with sorghum[201].

===Propagation===
Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Give them the protection of a cloche until they are growing away well[K]. In warm temperate zones, where frosts are very rare and light, or non-existent, the seed can be sown in situ in the spring or the autumn[238].

===Pests and diseases===


==Varieties==
*'90 Day' - A fast-maturing cultivar, it will probably have a better chance of maturing a crop in Britain than the species[K]. It has been developed at the University of California[183].

==Gallery==
<gallery perrow=5>
File:Sa white sesame seeds.jpg| Magnified image of white sesame seeds
Image:Upload.png| photo 2
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
*{{wplink}}

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