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Slimy leaves and oily seeds: Distribution and use of wild relatives of sesame in Africa

Gluant feuilles et les graines huileuses: Distribution et utilisation des parents sauvages du sésame en Afrique

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Abstract

This is a cultural, ecological, economic, geographical and historical study of the close wild relatives of sesame in Africa. Medical, culinary, cosmetic and industrial use of each species is assembled along with ethnographic and linguistic data. Collectively, it presents a summary of the genetic resources of Sesamum. The relative importance of each species varies by location, however most of these taxa are used in strikingly similar ways by subsistence farmers. Comparison of usage by ethnic group reveals the social role these valuable leaf vegetables play in daily life, particularly during times of shortage and famine. Fieldwork provides firsthand data, supplementing herbarium specimens and the published literature about the distribution, uses and environmental adaptations of wild Sesamum species and their close relative, Ceratotheca sesamoides Endl.

Résumé

C’est une étude culturelle, écologique, économique, géographique et historique des parents sauvages étroits du sésame en Afrique. L’utilisation médicale, culinaire, cosmétique et industrielle de chaque espèce est assemblée avec des données ethnographiques et linguistiques. Collectivement, elle présente un sommaire des ressources génétiques de Vespèces Sesamum. L’importance relative de chaque espèce change par endroit; toutefois la plupart de ces taxa sont employées de manières semblables par les fermiers de subsistance. La comparaison de l’utilisation par les groupes ethniques indique le rôle social que ces importants légumes verts jouent dans la vie quotidienne, en particulier pendant des périodes de manque et de famine. Les travaux sur le terrain fournissent des données de base, complétant ainsi les spécimens d’herbier et la littérature éditée au sujet de la distribution, des utilisations et des adaptations aux environements des espèces sauvages de Sesamum et de leur parent étroit,Ceratotheca sesamoides Endl.

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  1. Department of Biology, Washington University, St.Louis

    Dorothea Bedigian

  2. Missouri Botanical Garden, St.Louis, USA

    Dorothea Bedigian

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Bedigian, D. Slimy leaves and oily seeds: Distribution and use of wild relatives of sesame in Africa. Econ Bot 58 (Suppl 1), S3–S33 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1663/0013-0001(2004)58[S3:SLAOSD]2.0.CO;2

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