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Sesame
Sesamum indicum
γ΄γ
An annual herb native to Africa. Its seeds are an important oilseed crop used worldwide as cooking oil and a seasoning. Produces capsules following white to pale purple tubular flowers.
Identification Points
- βFlowers white to pale pink, tubular and bilabiate
- βCapsules longitudinally divided into 4 chambers, dehiscing at maturity to release seeds
- βLeaves opposite to alternate, lanceolate to ovate with glandular hairs
Habitat
Crop fields (cultivated)
Season
JulyβSeptember (flowers and fruits)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Herb
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf dissection
Dissected
Leaf shape
Needle
Habitat
Cultivated
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Fused
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Zygomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Stamen count
5
Phylogenetic Positionγ΄γη§ β
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Lamiales > Pedaliaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene to Neogene
Evolution Notes
Pedaliaceae possesses the seed dispersal mechanism said to inspire the phrase 'Open Sesame'βthe capsule splits open at maturity, releasing the seeds explosively.
View on evolution timeline βSources & References
AI-generated, needs verification