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).

Common Name:

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[].
The leaves and seeds are often harvested from wild plants and consumed locally[]. The plant is occasionally cultivated as a vegetable[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

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

Habitat

Sandy soil, frequently by roadsides, in grassland and open woodland[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	1.50 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, 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[]. 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[].

The whole plant, except the roots, is an ingredient of oxytocic medicines in N Nigeria, to hasten childbirth and to ease pain[].

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[].

A root decoction is used to treat cough[]. An infusion of the powdered roots is drunk to cure diarrhoea and other intestinal disorders[].

The seed oil is used to treat ringworm[].

Other Uses

The following uses are for the closely related S. Angustifolium. It is assumed that they also apply to this species[].

The crushed leaves are used as a soap substitute, rubbed into the hair when washing it to give it a glossy look[]. They are also said to treat baldness[].

The sticky, crushed leaves have been used to trap tsetse flies on cattle, a fresh application giving protection for about 4 hours[].

The oil from the seeds has been suggested as suitable for the manufacture of soap[].

Propagation

Seed -

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