Taxon:  Sesamum radiatum Thonn. ex Hornem.



Summary
Genus:
Sesamum
Family:
Pedaliaceae
Nomen number:
33753
Place of publication:
Enum. pl. hort. hafn. suppl. 2 [1806]:12.  1806
Comment:
an allotetraploid originated around 5 Mya
Verified:
08/15/2018 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
18 (5  active, 3  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Sesamum occidentale Regel & Heer

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
  2. Bedigian, D. . 2018. Feeding the forgotten: wild and cultivated Ceratotheca and Sesamum (Pedaliaceae) that nourish and provide remedies in Africa. Econ. Bot. 72:496-542.
  3. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. Note: lists as Sesamum radiatum Schumach.
  4. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca. Note: mentions
  5. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
  6. Kumar, S. et al. 2019. Sesamum radiatum Thonn. ex Hornem. (Pedaliaceae): addition to the flora of Tamil Nadu with taxonomic notes. Indian J. Forest. 42:43-48.
  7. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  8. Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics Note: mentions
  9. Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. 1948-. Flora malesiana. Note: lists as Sesamum radiatum Schumach.
  10. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: mentions
  11. Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
Common names
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaChad  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBenin  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBurkina Faso  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCôte D'Ivoire  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGambia  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGhana  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGuinea  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaLiberia  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSenegal  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSierra Leone  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaTogo  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaGabon  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
2CultivatedAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  Bedigian, D. . 2018. Feeding the forgotten: wild and cultivated Ceratotheca and Sesamum (Pedaliaceae) that nourish and provide remedies in Africa. Econ. Bot. 72:496-542.
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  Kumar, S. et al. 2019. Sesamum radiatum Thonn. ex Hornem. (Pedaliaceae): addition to the flora of Tamil Nadu with taxonomic notes. Indian J. Forest. 42:43-48.
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesia  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalMalesiaMalaysia  Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
Native
Africa
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Chad
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon, Gabon
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola
Cultivated
Africa
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon
Naturalized
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India
  • MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia

Reference(s)
  1. Bedigian, D. . 2018. Feeding the forgotten: wild and cultivated Ceratotheca and Sesamum (Pedaliaceae) that nourish and provide remedies in Africa. Econ. Bot. 72:496-542.
  2. Kumar, S. et al. 2019. Sesamum radiatum Thonn. ex Hornem. (Pedaliaceae): addition to the flora of Tamil Nadu with taxonomic notes. Indian J. Forest. 42:43-48.
  3. Zoclanclounon, Y. A. B. et al. . 2023. Insights into chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships within the Sesamum species complex (Pedaliaceae). Front. Genet. 14:1207306. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1207306.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Food additivesthickening agentpotential, locally consumed to thicken sauces or soupsBedigian, D. . 2018. Feeding the forgotten: wild and cultivated Ceratotheca and Sesamum (Pedaliaceae) that nourish and provide remedies in Africa. Econ. Bot. 72:496-542.
Human foodoil/fat Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics Note: mentions
Human foodvegetable Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca. Note: mentions
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=33753. Accessed 12 May 2026.