Tephrosia pumila

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A scrambling herb. It is mostly about 1 m long. Mostly it grows each year from seed but it can live for a few years. It has spreading hairs on the stems. There are 7-13 leaflets which are oblong or wedge shaped. They are 0.5-2 cm long by 2-6 mm wide. There is a point at the tip. The flowers are about 1 cm long in short clusters at the ends of stems or opposite the leaves. These stalks of flowers are 1-6 cm long. The flowers are white and pink or purple. The fruit are thin curved pods. which curve upwards towards the tip. Pods are 3.5-4 cm long and 3.3-4 mm wide. They are covered with short hairs. There are 8-14 seeds in the pods. The seeds are close together.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. Plants mostly grow naturally near beaches and in coastal scrub on coral. In Papua New Guinea they grow from sea level to 75 m altitude. In Africa it grows from sea level to 1,500 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Arabia, Asia, Botswana, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central America, Comoros, Congo, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Middle East, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, SE Asia, Somalia, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Umukiingabagabo

Synonyms

Galega procumbens Buch.-Ham.; Galega pumila Lam.; Tephrosia procumbens (Buch.-Ham.) Drummond ex Gamble; Tephrosia purpurea var. pumila (Lam.) Baker;