Now reclassified as Sesamum trilobum. Common names include wild foxglove, African foxglove and false foxglove.

It varies in height depending on the amount of water it receives during the summer. Some plants become quite bushy, while others remain single-stemmed. It has slender spikes of delicate, very pale purple-lilac foxglove-like flowers that are truly beautiful. The leaves, stems and flowers are covered with fine white hairs. They are slightly sticky and give off a nutty smell when crushed. The flowers will last a few days in a vase.

When in flower, Sesamum trilobum creates quite a stir as a favourite of carpenter bees and honey bees. A closer look reveals that honeybees are the pollinators because they crawl inside the flowers to feed on the nectar, touching the anthers and the stigma, while the larger carpenter bees do not crawl inside but bite a hole through the flower to reach the nectar.

The leaves and roots of Sesamum trilobum are used in traditional medicine. The leaves are also boiled and eaten as spinach or as a relish, the aroma disappearing on cooking. It has good nutritional potential, containing fats, proteins and carbohydrates, but is slightly toxic in high concentrations.

In the garden, these annuals prefer rich, well-drained soils in full sun or partial shade. Wild foxglove can survive with very little water, but to grow tall (150cm or more) and lush they need plenty of water throughout the summer. Plant them in large groups close together for best effect. They will seed freely if left to do so. Wild Foxglove is an opportunistic annual or biennial. When conditions are favourable it will germinate, grow rapidly, flower and set seed in a short time and survive unfavourable conditions as seed.