TABLE 1.
Different sesame species endowed with specific key traits.
| Section | Taxon (synonyms) | Chromosome no. (2n) | Distribution and habitat | Key diagnostic characters | Traits of interest |
| Sesamopteris Endl. | S. alatum Thonn. (S. ekambaramii Naidu) | 26 | Nigeria, Sudan, Mozambique; introduced weed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu; found on sandy soils, in riverbeds, grasslands, and as a weed | Erect, annual, branched, lower leaves palmately divided, upper leaves linear to lanceolate, corolla pink to carmine, nectary sessile, capsule with tapering pointed beak and paper-thin walls, seeds membranous-winged, blackish | Resistant to phyllody, has been transferred to sesame; free from leaf webber and powdery mildew; good plant type, high number of seeds/capsules |
| Sesamum | S. indicum L. subsp.indicum (S. orientale L., S. trifoliatum Mill.) | 26 | Tropics to subtropics | Erect, annual, simple or branched, leaves variable, basal leaves mostly trifoliolate, corolla campanulate, whitish/violet/pink, extrafloral nectaries 1–1.2 mm in diameter. Seeds black/brown/tan/beige/rust-red/mustard-yellow/ivory/white, (mostly) smooth or granular; seed edge sloping; non-dormant seed | |
| S. indicum L. subsp. malabaricum (Burm.) Bedigian (S. malabaricum Burm.; S. mulayanum N.C. Nair) | 26 | India (except NE India); from plains, roadsides, railroad tracks, cultivated fields, and hilly forests at elevations to 1,600 m. Often weedy populations occur on roadsides | Erect, annual, branches, many leaves deeply dissected/divided with dentate margin, basal leaves mostly trifoliolate, flowers white to pale purple, with deep purple hue. Lower lip dark purple. Extrafloral nectaries 2–3 mm in diameter, yellow. Strictly bicarpellate capsule. Seeds black/dark brown, surface reticulate and rugose, seed edge acute. Often with markedly purple tinted leaves, stems, petioles and corolla. Dormant seeds | Donor for cms; free from leaf webber and powdery mildew; withstands high rainfall; tolerates waterlogging. According to Hiremath and Patil (1999), wild types of sesame might have higher seed oil content and better fatty acid profile than cultivated sesame | |
| Chamae-sesamum Benth. | S. prostratum Retz. (S. laciniatum Willd.) | 32 | India (Deccan Hills), Africa; prefers sandy tracts, coastal sandy areas, waste grounds | Prostrate, perennial; leaves small, blade irregularly undulate/dentate, leathery; flowers purplish red; capsules leathery, lignified, open with difficulty, seeds without wings, testa pitted | Resistant to phyllody, leaf webber, and powdery mildew; tolerates drought, salinity, and seed shattering |
| Aptera Seidenst. | S. radiatum Schum. & Thonn. (S. occidentale Heer & Regel) | 64 | Africa, Madagascar, Upper Guinea, Sri Lanka; Indonesia, naturalized in Kerala and Tamil Nadu | Erect, annual, simple or branched, leaves entire (including basal leaves), sub-opposite, blade ovate to elliptical, extrafloral nectaries purplish, corolla pubescent, pink to purplish, capsule short, with a very short beak at apex, often with two short lateral protuberances, seeds blackish, smooth, margined, testa with radial sculptures | High number of capsules and wide adaptation; drought-tolerant, resistant to powdery mildew, leaf webber, and phyllody |