Fabaceae
Tephrosia

Tephrosia nana Kotschy ex Schweinf.

First published in Reliq. Kotschy.: 20 (1868)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, R.K. Brummitt, D.K. Harder, G.P. Lewis, J.M. Lock, R.M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:3. 2007

Morphology General Habit
Annual with a short taproot and decumbent-ascending to erect branched stems 60–120(150) cm high (or much shorter outside the Flora area, see note below).
Morphology Stem
Stems fairly densely covered with soft, brown, ascending or spreading hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves pinnate with 4–9 pairs of leaflets; petiole 0.5–2.5(3) cm long, petiole and rachis together 4–14(18) cm long, pubescent like the stem; leaflets 2.5–5.5(6.5) × (0.5)0.7–1.8(2) cm, elliptic or obovate to oblanceolate (in other areas often oblanceolate to linear-oblong), cuneate to rounded at the base, rounded to emarginate at the apex; upper surface glabrous or appressed-pubescent (see note below), lower surface appressed-pubescent; stipules 6–12(17) × (0.4)1–3 mm, linear-triangular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in mostly terminal, sometimes also axillary, usually rather short and compact racemes, mostly 3–15 cm long, or often with the lowermost flowers in the axils of the upper leaves; bracts 4–9(12) × (0.2)0.4–1(2) mm, pubescent, soon falling; pedicels 3–7 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx (2.5)3–5 mm long, appressed-pubescent to conspicuously villous with strongly deflexed hairs especially on the lower side, the teeth with much shorter and darker hairs towards their margins and so apparently with a dark outline; upper teeth connate for about half their length, lateral teeth short (c.1 mm) and acute to subobtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals (10)13–19 mm long, purple to brownish or pink.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamen tube joined above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary pubescent; style pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods (40)50–70 × 5–6 mm (or shorter and narrower in W Africa), brown, shortly pubescent with ± irregular hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds (13)15–18(21), obliquely transverse.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Annual or short-lived perennial, 20–150 cm. tall; stems rusty hirsute, the longer hairs often up to 2 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-rhachis up to 13 cm. long, including a petiole of 3–50 mm., prolonged up to 6 mm. beyond lateral leaflets; stipules triangular-attenuate, rather falcate, ± 1 cm. long; leaflets 7–19, oblong-elliptic, gradually increasing in size from leaf-base, up to 55 by 13 mm., rounded or retuse at tip, narrowed at base, softly pubescent beneath and usually (in Flora area) less densely so above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pink or purple in rather dense pedunculate pseudoracemes, occasionally a few also in upper leaf-axils; bracts very narrowly triangular; pedicels ± 5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx densely rusty and white pubescent; tube 3 mm.; upper teeth broad and short (1.5 mm.), united except for the connivent tips, lateral teeth 2 mm., lowest 2.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard golden-brown silky outside, purple within, 12–18 mm. long, 10–15 mm. wide; keel glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Upper filament lightly attached, widened and slightly callous 1 mm. above base; filament-sheath 14 mm., free parts 3–4 mm., anthers 0.7 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style pubescent on both sides, linear, gradually curved in the lower half, 6 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod ascending, brown, curved slightly downwards as is also the beak, 5–6 cm. long, ± 6 mm. wide, stiffly pubescent with hairs about 0.7 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 12–20, brown, smooth, ellipsoid, transverse, ± 3 × 1.5 × 1 mm.; hilum at one side of the base; aril white, annular.
Habitat
Grassland and swamps; 800–1800 m.; rainfall 1000–2000 mm.
Distribution
K5 T1 T4 T6 U1 U2 U3 U4 Senegal to Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Lake Victoria regional transition zone; grasslands, Zambezian grassland, Sudanian grasslands
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

Papilionaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
Habit similar to the last (Tephrosia flexuosa)
Morphology General Indumentum
Branches with spreading tawny pubescence
Ecology
In savannah.
[FWTA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0