Digitalis was my first guess, too, but I certainly don't have a good idea on it. I'm also thinking with your "typical" foxglove that the leaves don't extend up the bloom stalk.

Hmmmm.

I wonder, do you have a copy of Judy Mielke's desert wildflower book?

What size is the plant and the flowers?

I love a good detective story, so I put myself to sleep last night searching for clues to your plant's ID. I'm voting for digitalis purpurea alba even though your flowers are fancier, the leaves are narrower and it bloomed the first year. I found many, many leaf shapes so that didn't seem to be deal breaker. And you can't see from your photo what the flower's throat looks like. Does it have color or spots of color or is it all white. Check out this site (be prepared to drool) and look at Camelot and Snow Thimble.

Here is a link that might be useful: foxgloves galore!

Hiya Pagan, Tomato and all,

Thanks very much for the suggestions, I really appreciate it. Plant mysteries can be fun! I guess I should have just waited a few days until the seed pods opened up, which they started to do today, and now I can easily see it's a sesame plant (Sesamum indicum, yup, the same plant used in the kitchen). The seeds popped out and I thought "hey, these look like sesame seeds" so I did a quick image search and there it is, an exact match for my plant. Who knew it was so ornamental??? Several people, apparently, but I didn't, until now!

I'll definitely be growing it again next summer. I did check Judy Mielke's fabulous book after you mentioned it, Pagan, great idea! It's not a native plant, but it sure is garden worthy! Thanks too for the foxglove link, Tomato, it's drool worthy for sure!

Here are a couple of other pics of it, plus a link to a website with lots of pics. The author of the website even mentions how much it looks like Proboscidea, LOL! Thanks again for your help, gardeners are just the best people around!

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Take care and happy gardening!
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: Sesame plant pics and info

Seriously!! Never woulda guessed that. Who else has this plant? It's beautiful. Tasty little seeds, too. What's not to love?

What do the leaves taste like?

One of the chefs at the local sushi place gave my husband a sesame leaf from her garden and asked him to try it. He said it had a strong, almost unpleasant flavor -- an acquired taste.

I wonder if this was from the same plant, or something else called "sesame leaf." (We're in Tucson.)

Wow, sesame seed plant, how nice!

Grant, I don't think I've ever seen sesame seeds in a nursery. How did you come by them - and more importantly - will you have a few to share? ;o)

LOL - chinese markets.

Oh, I have a jar in the spice drawer! I use sesame seeds enough that I thought it might be fun to grow my own, especially now that I know how gorgeous those flowers are. It sounds easy enough (doesn't everything?) so I'm keeping this article for next spring. Too late now, don't you think?

Here is a link that might be useful: how to grow sesame from seed

As long as you have a few, I'd stick 'em in a damp paper towel, put them in a baggie in a warm area, just to see if they're viable. If the items in your spice drawer are anything like mine, they may be beyond viability.... 8*0 or it is possible that they are also treated with something. Give it a try, let us know!

I'll try a few from the spice drawer. My concern with those and other seeds sold as food is that they may have been treated with something. But, as the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. ;o)