Sesamum radiatum is a species of flowering plant in the Pedaliaceae. It is in the same genus as sesame, and is known by the English common names benniseed, black benniseed,[1] black sesame,[2] and vegetable sesame.[3] It is native to west and central Africa, has been cultivated since ancient times in Africa, and is sometimes also used in tropical Asia where it has become naturalized to a small extent.[1]
Benniseed is a portmanteau of both the word benne and seed. Benne, meaning sesame derives from Gullah benne which is akin to Malinke bĕne.[4] [5] [6]
The seeds are eaten whole, made into a paste, ground into a powder, or pressed for a high-quality oil.[1] The leaves can be eaten fresh or cooked and are used in Sub-Saharan Africa as a leaf vegetable.[1] [3] The leaves are mucilaginous in texture when cooked. The shoots can also be eaten and are used in soups and porridge.[7]
The leaves are also used medicinally as a laxative, an antidote to scorpion venom[2] and to treat sprains and ease childbirth.[2] The stem and bark have also been noted for their anti-bacterial properties.[8]
This plant is an annual herb growing up to NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) tall. The leaves are opposite, or toward the top of the plant, alternately arranged. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval and up to 12cm (05inches) long. They may be smooth-edged or serrated. Flowers occur singly in the leaf axils. They are pink to purple in color, sometimes white, and somewhat bell-shaped. They measure up to 5cm (02inches) long. The fruit is a capsule up to 3.5cm (01.4inches) long which contains seeds roughly 3mm long.[1]
This plant grows wild in savanna and other habitat types. It is also a weed of fields and homesteads. It can grow on poor, rocky soils and it flowers even through drought conditions. When cultivated the plant yields NaNMT of leaves per hectare.[1]
This plant is vulnerable to the leaf spot disease Cercospora sesami. It is also attacked by hawk moths (Sphingidae), the moth Antigastra catalaunalis, and the vegetable bug Nezara viridula.[1]