Tephrosia pumila (PROSEA)

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Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction
List of species


Tephrosia pumila (Lamk) Persoon

Family: Leguminosae - Papilionoideae

Synonyms

  • Tephrosia timoriensis DC.

Distribution

Pantropical, possibly originated in Madagascar.

Uses

A green manure crop.

Observations

  • Annual herb or short-lived perennial, 30-60 cm tall, branched from the base, stem with long hairs.
  • Leaves imparipinnate, up to 6.5 cm long; stipules linear, setaceous; leaflets 2-7 pairs, elliptical to obovate, 3-27 mm × 1-9 mm, truncate or emarginate at the apex.
  • Inflorescence a terminal or leaf-opposed pseudoraceme, up to 10 cm long, 2-6-flowered.
  • Flowers 3-7 mm long; pedicel 1.5-3 mm long; calyx teeth long, thin; corolla white turning pink, standard 3-6 mm long.
  • Pod linear, 2-4.5 cm × 3-5 mm, finely downy, 5-14-seeded.
  • Seed quadrangular, up to 3.5 mm long.

T. pumila is found in low-lying areas with little rainfall, beaches, arable fields, grasslands, river banks, on limestone, coral and stony soils, up to 100 m altitude. The fruit contains various flavonoids.

Selected sources

  • Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr., R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Wolters-Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. 647, 641, 761 pp.
  • Bosman, M.T.M. & de Haas, A.J.P., 1983. A revision of the genus Tephrosia (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) in Malesia. Blumea 28: 421-487.
  • Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, the Hague, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 261, 1450 pp.
  • Hooker, J.D. (Editor), 1872-1879. Flora of British India. 7 volumes. 2nd Indian reprint 1978. Periodical Expert Book Agency, New Delhi, India.
  • Nasir, E. & Ali, S.I. (Editors), 1970-. Flora of (West) Pakistan. Volume 1-. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.
  • Verdcourt, B., 1979. A manual of New Guinea legumes. Botany Bulletin No 11. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. 645 pp.

Authors

  • M.S.M. Sosef & L.J.G. van der Maesen