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Electronic Flora of South Australia genus Fact Sheet

Family: Fabaceae
Tephrosia

Citation: Pers., Syn. Pl. 2:328 (1807).

Derivation: From Greek tephros, ash-coloured; most of the species are covered with grey hairs.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Erect or prostrate subshrubs with basifixed hairs; stems 10-20 cm long, cylindrical; leaves of 5-15 leaflets, rarely reduced to 3 or 1, entire, exstipellate; the terminal one equal to or larger than the laterals; veins parallel with or oblique to the midrib.

Flowers sessile to shortly pedicellate in terminal or leaf-opposed racemes, rarely axillary, in pairs or clusters; bract present, bracteoles absent; calyx-lobes subequal or the 2 upper more united; petals clawed, orange to purple; standard nearly orbicular, appressed-pubescent externally, reflexed; wings slightly adherent to the keel; keel incurved, obtuse, sometimes pubescent; stamens 10, monadelphous or diadelphous when the upper stamen is quite free; anthers uniform; ovary sessile, with usually many ovules; style flattened, incurved or inflexed, glabrous; stigma terminal.

Pod linear, compressed, 2-valved, continuous or obscurely septate between the seeds; seed subglobose to cylindrical. Over 300 species distributed mainly in the warmer regions of the world; in Australia about 40 species mainly in the tropics, few in the arid zone.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:
1. Leaflets 5-9, lanceolate, 15-70 x 4-13 mm; petals yellow-green when fresh or dry
T. sphaerospora 1.
1. Leaflets 5-15, obovate to cuneate, 10-20 x 3-8 mm; petals pink to purple, drying to yellow-brown
T. supina 2.

Author: Not yet available


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