are native to the Ethiopian highlands. It is a dicotyledonous herb, moderately to well branched and grows up to 2 m tall. The seed contains about 40% oil with fatty acid composition of 75-80% linoleic acid, 7-8% palmitic and stearic acids, and 5-8% oleic acid (Getinet and Teklewold 1995). The Indian types contain 25% oleic and 55% linoleic acids (Nasirullah et al. 1982). The meal remaining after the oil extraction is free from any toxic substance but contains more crude fibre than most oilseed meals