《中国植物志》|| 胡麻科 PEDALIACEAE ||胡麻属 Sesamum L. ||芝麻 Sesamum indicum L.

1.芝麻（通称）胡麻（名医别录），脂麻（本草衍义），油麻（食療本草）图版18：6-7
Sesamum indicum L. Sp. Pl. 634. 1753; Wight in Curtis's Bot. Mag. 41: tab. 1688. 1814; Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 4: 387. 1884; Abedin in Fl. West Pakistan 33: 3, fig. 1, A-D. 1973;中国高等植物图鉴4: 107, 图5628. 1975; Lauener in Not. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 38(3) : 473. 1980. ——S. orientale L. Sp. Pl. 634. 1753; Roxb. Fl. Ind. ed. 2, 3:100. 1832; van Steenis, Fl. Males., ser. 1, 7: 829. 1976; Sutton in Hara et al. Enum. Flow. Pl. Nepal 3: 138. 1982. ——Strobilanthes gentiliana Levl. in Bull. Soc. Agr. Sci. Arts Sarthe 44: 479. 1914; Fl. Kouv-Tcheou 22. 1914.
一年生直立草本。高60-150厘米，分枝或不分枝，中空或具有白色髓部，微有毛。叶矩圆形或卵形，长3-10厘米，宽2.5-4厘米，下部叶常掌状3裂，中部叶有齿缺，上部叶近全缘；叶柄长1-5厘米。花单生或2-3朵同生于叶腋内。花萼裂片披针形，长5-8毫米，宽1.6-3.5毫米，被柔毛。花冠长2.5-3厘米，筒状，直径约1-1.5厘米，长2-3.5厘米，白色而常有紫红色或黄色的彩晕。雄蕊4，内藏。子房上位，4室（云南西双版纳栽培植物可至8室），被柔毛。蒴果矩圆形，长2-3厘米，直径6-12毫米，有纵棱，直立，被毛，分裂至中部或至基部。种子有黑白之分。花期夏末秋初。
芝麻原产印度，我国汉时引入，古称胡麻（今日本仍称之），但现在通称脂麻，即芝麻。 本植物在我国栽培极广历史悠久。
芝麻种子含油分55%，除供食用外，又可榨油，油供食用及妇女涂头发之用，亦供药、用，作为软膏基础剂、粘滑剂、解毒剂。种子有黑白二种之分，黑者称黑脂麻，白者称为白脂麻；黑脂麻为含有脂肪油类之缓和性滋养强壮剂，有滋润营养之功，对于高血压也有治疗的功效。

《Flora of China》|| Pedaliaceae || Sesamum ||芝麻 Sesamum indicum

1. Sesamum indicum Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 634. 1753.

芝麻 zhi ma

Sesamum orientale Linnaeus.

Herbs annual, erect, to 1.2 m tall. Stems branched or unbranched, 4-angled, finely pubescent to glabrescent. Leaves opposite or alternate; petiole 3-11 cm on lower leaves; leaf blade lanceolate to ovate, variously 3-parted, 4-20 X 2-10 cm; upper stem leaves oblong to linear-lanceolate, 0.5-2.5 cm wide, base cuneate, margin entire. Flowers white, pink, or mauve-pink with darker markings. Calyx persistent. Corolla 1.5-3.3 cm. Capsule narrowly oblong, rounded at base, 1.5-3 cm X 6-7 mm; beak broad, short. Seeds horizontally arranged, double fringe conspicuous; testa white, brown, or black when ripe, smooth. 2n = 26*.

Widely cultivated in China as a crop for seed oil; origin uncertain, cultivated worldwide, especially in tropical countries.