Sesame is grown for its tiny, oil-rich seeds, which go into baked goods and candy, get pressed for oil, or are ground into . In the US it's a field crop grown mainly in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, where its drought tolerance pays off. It's also known as benne.
Appearance
- Appearance
- An upright plant, typically 20–40 in (50–100 cm) tall. US extension guides report 2–8 ft (0.6–2.4 m) in fields, depending on variety, soil fertility, and water.
- Leaves
- Opposite leaves 1.5–5.5 in (4–14 cm) long with smooth edges.
- Flowers
- Tubular flowers about 1 in (2.5–3 cm) long, white to pink or purple.
- Flowering time
- Flowering starts as early as 30 days after planting and continues until about 75–80 days after planting. Each flower opens for only one day.
- Fruit
- A capsule about 0.8–1.2 in (2–3 cm) long. Traditional types split open when ripe and spill their seeds, called ; varieties bred for machine harvest in the US stay mostly closed, though their pods can still open slightly along the seams.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Farm fields
- Range
- Sesame isn't native to the US. It was domesticated on the Indian subcontinent at least 5,500 years ago and is now grown in warm regions worldwide. US production is centered in Texas, Oklahoma, and parts of Kansas.
- Preferred conditions
- A warm-season crop that takes about 100 days from planting to mature seed, plus one to two weeks to dry down before harvest. Its deep roots make it drought tolerant, but it can't handle waterlogged soil.
Growing it
- Care
- Plant once the soil reaches about 70°F (21°C), which in North Carolina is usually around mid-May.
- Propagation
- Grown from seed. The seeds are only about 1/8 in (3–4 mm) long and roughly half oil.
- Toxicity
- Sesame can trigger serious food allergies, including anaphylaxis. Since 2023, US law (the FASTER Act) has required sesame to be labeled as a major food allergen.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Cultivated sesame descends from a wild relative found only on the Indian subcontinent (Sesamum indicum malabaricum). That wild plant was once treated as a separate species, Sesamum malabaricum, but recent classifications treat it as a subspecies of sesame.
- Varieties and forms
- Seeds come in white, black, and tan or golden types.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- The magic words "Open sesame" come from the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. One possible explanation links them to the way ripe sesame pods pop open.
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