Tephrosia purpurea
(L.) Pers.
Fabaceae
An extremely variable species, usually divided into a number of subspecies, though many subclassifications exist. Most characteristic is the shape of its pod: convex around the seeds with a distinctive flat area in between[
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The name T. Purpurea is often erroneously applied to the cultivated T. Noctiflora Bojer ex Baker which has longer inflorescences, a very long carinal calyx tooth and reticulately ridged seeds[
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Cracca purpurea L.
Galega piscatoria Aiton
Tephrosia canescens E.Mey.
Tephrosia delagoensis H.M.L.Forbes
Tephrosia leptostachya DC.
Tephrosia piscatoria (Aiton) Pers.
Tephrosia wallichii Graham ex Fawc. & Rendle
Common Name: Purple Tephrosia
Flowering and fruiting plant
Photograph by: J.M.Garg
GNU Free Documentation License
Flowering and fruiting plant
Photograph by: J.M.Garg
GNU Free Documentation License
Close-up of the flowers
Photograph by: J.M.Garg
GNU Free Documentation License
General Information
Purple tephrosia is an erect or spreading annual or short-lived perennial herb, sometimes bushy, usually growing from 40 - 80cm tall, rarely up to 1.5 metres[
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The plant has a range of traditional medicinal uses, being harvested from the wild and used locally. It is also cultivated as a green manure crop.
Known Hazards
The plant contains the rotenoid tephrosine, which stuns fish but not mammals[
]. The pounded leaves are used to stupefy and catch fish[
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The plant contains rotenonoids and has been used traditionally as a fish poison - rotenoids kill or stun the fish making them easy to catch, but the fish remain perfectly edible for mammals. Rotenonoids are classified by the World Health Organization as moderately hazardous. They are mildly toxic to humans and other mammals, but extremely toxic to many insects (hence their use as an insecticide) and aquatic life, including fish. This higher toxicity in fish and insects is because the lipophilic rotenonoid is easily taken up through the gills or trachea, but not as easily through the skin or the gastrointestinal tract. The lowest lethal dose for a child is 143 mg/kg, but human deaths from rotenone poisoning are rare because its irritating action causes vomiting. Deliberate ingestion of rotenone, however, can be fatal.
The compound decomposes when exposed to sunlight and usually has an activity of six days in the environment.
Botanical References
Range
Probably originally native on the Indian subcontinent and China, now naturalised pantropically.
Habitat
Occurs naturally in grassy fields, waste places and thickets, on ridges, and along roadsides[
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]. Dry, rocky or clay soil in coastal sites, on lava fields, open areas at elevations from 5 - 610 metres in Hawaii[
].
Properties
Edibility Rating |      |
Medicinal Rating |      |
Other Uses Rating |      |
Habit | Annual/Perennial |
Height | 0.75 m |
Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Wild |
Cultivation Details
A plant of the lowland tropics, where it is usually found at elevations up to 400 metres, occasionally as high as 1,300 metres[
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Prefers dry, gravelly or rocky and sandy soils, but in Madras (India) it grows well on loamy soils[
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]. It is tolerant of saline-sodic soil conditions[
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The plant flowers throughout the year in Java[
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A deep rooted plant[
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].
T. Purpurea is associated with the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Glomus heterosporum and Sclerocystis microcarpus in waste sites of coal mines and calcite mine spoils, and is nodulated by Rhizobium[
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Its growth is often not very luxuriant, limiting its value as a temporary shade crop or green manure. When added to the soil as green manure it increases humus content and induces the formation of large, stable soil aggregates. It produces ample seed and builds up a large seedbank in the soil[
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This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Edible Uses
The seeds are used as a substitute for coffee[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
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- Facciola. S.
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- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
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- 0-9628087-2-5
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- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
,
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].
The roots are used for flavouring milk[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
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-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
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- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Medicinal
All parts of the plant have tonic and laxative properties[
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The dried plant is deobstruent, diuretic and useful in treating bronchitis, bilious febrile attacks and obstructions of the liver, spleen and kidneys. It is also recommended as a blood purifier, in the treatment of boils and pimples and is considered a cordial treatment[
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A decoction of the fruit is given as a treatment against intestinal worms[
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]. A fruit extract is used to relieve bodily pains and inflammatory problems[
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The roots are bitter and anthelmintic[
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]. A decoction is used as a nematicide for treatment against Toxocora canis larvae which cause a lung disease[
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]. It is also used as a treatment against dyspepsia, colic, and chronic diarrhoea[
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The pounded leaves are used as a decoction against snake-bite[
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- Grassland Species - Profiles
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- Terse information on over 650 species of plants that grow in grassland, including trees, shrubs and perennial plants as well as grasses. Gives a brief description of the plant, its range and habitat and some of its uses.
].
The leaves and leaf buds are ground and mixed with salt and coconut (Cocos nucifera) as a topical treatment for cuts and itchy skin[
].
Agroforestry Uses:
The plant is used as green manure for vegetables, rice, coconut and banana[
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]. When grown as a green manure on saline-sodic soils in Rajastan (India), it is most successful in reducing soil salinity and lowering the pH[
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Other Uses
The leaves are occasionally used to dye material orange-brown[
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]. When combined with Mucuna cyanosperma, a black can be obtained[
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The dry plants are collected for fuel[
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The plant parts of many species in this genus contain rotenone-like compounds that have insecticidal properties[
1615- Title
- The American Barbistyled Species of Tephrosia (Leguminosae)
- Publication
- Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University 170, 1949
- Author
- Wood C.E.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1949
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
]. Rotenone is an isoflavone that has strong insecticidal, pesticidal and piscicidal activities, but is of relatively low toxicity to humans.
Propagation
Seed - easy[
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