If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Tropical Plants

Sesamum calycinum

Welw.

Pedaliaceae


This plant is very closely related to Sesamum angustifolium (which is sometimes considered no more than a subspecies of Sesamum calycinum as Sesamum calycinum angustifolium).

+ Synonyms

Sesamum repens Engl. & Gilg

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Sesamum calycinum is an erect, annual to perennial plant growing up to 1.8 metres tall. Plants can be with or without side branches[
308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
].
The leaves and seeds are often harvested from wild plants and consumed locally[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
]. The plant is occasionally cultivated as a vegetable[
308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.

Range

Southern tropical Africa - Angola, DR Congo, Malawi, Zambia.

Habitat

Sandy soil, frequently by roadsides, in grassland and open woodland[
308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitAnnual/Perennial
Height1.50 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details


Prefers a sunny position.
A very variable species that includes both very erect and straggling forms. The branched more spreading form has smaller flowers and shorter leaves and appears rather more woody.

Edible Uses

Leaves and young shoots cooked[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
]. The taste is mild to sour - they are a popular vegetable in some areas but in others are considered a famine food, eaten when nothing else is available. Because they are mucilaginous the leaves are often chopped and cooked together with other ingredients including: other leaf vegetables such as Corchorus spp; peas and beans; and to thicken sauces that are eaten with the staple food. The unpleasant smell of raw chopped leaves mostly disappears with cooking. The leaves and young shoots can be dried and stored for later use.

Seed - cooked. They are usually ground into a powder then cooked in sauces or soups.

The seeds yield about 30% of an edible oil, which is pale to dark yellow and odourless.

Medicinal

The following medicinal uses are for the closely related S. Angustifolium. It is assumed that they also apply to this species[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

The whole plant, except the roots, is an ingredient of oxytocic medicines in N Nigeria, to hasten childbirth and to ease pain[
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].

The mucilage obtained from leaves rubbed in water is used to treat eye troubles, burns, wounds, stomach-ache, diarrhoea in children and to ease labour and delivery[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

A root decoction is used to treat cough[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. An infusion of the powdered roots is drunk to cure diarrhoea and other intestinal disorders[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The seed oil is used to treat ringworm[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Other Uses

The following uses are for the closely related S. Angustifolium. It is assumed that they also apply to this species[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

The crushed leaves are used as a soap substitute, rubbed into the hair when washing it to give it a glossy look[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. They are also said to treat baldness[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The sticky, crushed leaves have been used to trap tsetse flies on cattle, a fresh application giving protection for about 4 hours[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The oil from the seeds has been suggested as suitable for the manufacture of soap[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-13. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Sesamum+calycinum>

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.