Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical savanna
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Uncommon

About

One of the oldest cultivated oilseed crops in the world, sesame produces slender pods that burst open with an audible snap when ripe — the origin of the phrase "open sesame." Its tiny seeds are packed with oil and have been harvested by humans for over 5,000 years.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Pedaliaceae
Genus: Sesamum
Species: Sesamum indicum