Synonyms: Paratephrosia APNI*
Description: Herbaceous shrubs.
Leaves alternate, imparipinnate [or rarely leaflets reduced to 1]; leaflets with numerous lateral veins ± parallel to each other extending to the margins, shortly petiolulate.
Flowers paired or clustered, usually in terminal or leaf-opposed racemes; bracteoles absent. Calyx teeth ± equal. Standard nearly circular, hairy. Stamens usually diadelphous. Ovary sessile.
Pods linear, ± compressed, dehiscent; seeds usually many, reniform to globose, arillate.
Flowering: Most species flower spring to summer.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 300 spp., trop. & subtrop. regions. Aust.: c. 60 spp. (mostly endemic, 9 spp. naturalized), Qld, N.S.W., N.T., S.A., mainly trop. & arid regions.
Text by Harden
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Tephrosia rufula
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Erect plants, >50 cm high; flowers >12 mm long; pods glabrous or hairy only along sutures. | 2 |
| Prostrate or erect plants, <50 cm high; flowers <12 mm long; pods covered with hairs, sometimes sparsely so or ± glabrescent with age. | 4 |
| 2 | Stipules subulate to lanceolate, 4–5 mm long. | Tephrosia inandensis |
| Stipules ovate to broad-ovate, 6–10 mm long.
Back to 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Calyx rusty- to golden-hairy, teeth 2–3 mm long, subulate, apex tapering; pods pubescent along sutures. | Tephrosia grandiflora |
| Calyx silvery- to white-hairy, teeth <2 mm long, triangular, apex subacute; pods bristly along sutures.
Back to 2 | Tephrosia glomeruliflora |
| 4 | Flowers pink to purple or red; leaves ± concolorous, lower surface hairy but not silky. | 5 |
| Flowers orange, yellow to greenish; leaves discolorous, lower surface silky.
Back to 1 | 7 |
| 5 | Leaflets linear to oblanceolate, <15 mm long, apex acute and often recurved. | Tephrosia filipes |
| Leaflets narrow-elliptic or narrow-lanceolate to oblong or cuneate, >15 mm long, apex acute, obtuse or mucronate.
Back to 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Calyx >3.5 mm long; apex of leaflets acute. | Tephrosia bidwillii |
| Calyx <3.5 mm long: apex of leaflets obtuse to mucronate.
Back to 5 | Tephrosia brachyodon |
| 7 | Leaflets linear to lanceolate 20–70 mm long. | Tephrosia sphaerospora |
| Leaflets oblanceolate to obovate 8–20 mm long.
Back to 4 | Tephrosia supina |
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