Editing Sesame (section)

== Botany ==

Sesame is a perennial plant growing {{convert|50|to|100|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} tall, with opposite leaves {{convert|4|to|14|cm |in|abbr=on|0}} long with an entire margin; they are broad [[lanceolate]], to {{convert |5 |cm |in |abbr=on}} broad, at the base of the plant, narrowing to just {{convert|1|cm|in|abbr=on}} broad on the flowering stem. The flowers are tubular, {{convert|2.5|to|3|cm|in|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="Wei Zhao Wang 2022"/> The flowers vary in colour, from white to pink or purple.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sesame |url=https://www.flower-db.com/en/flowers/sesamum-indicum |website=Flower Database |access-date=20 December 2024}}</ref>

The fruit is a [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]], normally pubescent. The length of the fruit capsule varies from {{convert|2 to 3|cm|in|abbr=on}}, its width varies between {{convert|0.6 and 1.2|cm|in|abbr=on}}; there are four locules. The seeds are either white or black.<ref name="Wei Zhao Wang 2022">{{cite journal |last1=Wei |first1=Panpan |last2=Zhao |first2=Fenglan |last3=Wang |first3=Zhen |last4=Wang |first4=Qibao |last5=Chai |first5=Xiaoyun |last6=Hou |first6=Guige |last7=Meng |first7=Qingguo |display-authors=5 |title=Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.): A Comprehensive Review of Nutritional Value, Phytochemical Composition, Health Benefits, Development of Food, and Industrial Applications |journal=Nutrients |volume=14 |issue=19 |date=2022-09-30 |pmid=36235731 |pmc=9573514 |doi=10.3390/nu14194079 |doi-access=free |page=4079}}</ref>

Sesame seeds are small. Their sizes vary widely by cultivar. Typically, the seeds are 3 to 4×2×1 mm (0.12 to 0.16×0.08×0.04 in). The seeds are ovate, slightly flattened, and somewhat thinner at the eye of the seed (hilum) than at the opposite end. The mass of 100 seeds sampled from a market in [[Ibadan]], Nigeria is 0.203 g, meaning that one gram of sesame consists of around 493 seeds.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tunde-Akintunde |first1=T. Y. |last2=Akintunde |first2=B. O. |date=2004-05-01 |title=Some Physical Properties of Sesame Seed |url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1537511004000236 |journal=Biosystems Engineering |volume=88 |issue=1 |pages=127–129 |doi=10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2004.01.009 |bibcode=2004BiSyE..88..127T}}</ref> 

Sesame was described as the [[species]] ''Sesamum indicum'' by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1753.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sesamum indicum L. |url=https://www.gbif.org/species/3172622 |publisher=Global Biodiversity Information Facility |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180>
File:Sesamum indicum 2.jpg |Plant

File:Sasame Plant, Behbahan.jpg |Flowers and seed capsules on plant
File:Sesame in Hainan - 05.JPG |Seed capsule
File:Sa white sesame seeds.jpg |Magnified image of white sesame seeds
</gallery>