Sarphonk / Common Tephrosia
Tephrosia purpurea
Also known as Wild Indigo
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Tephrosia purpurea
- Genus
- Tephrosia
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Moist deciduous forests and grasslands, also in the plains and waste places
- Distribution
- Himalayas, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, South Africa, Bhutan, Australia; Introduced in Tropical America
- Found in India
- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Fabaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Sarphonk सरफोंक, शरपुंखा Sharpunkha
- Nepali
- काँडे साखिनु Kaande Saakhinu
- Bengali
- বননীলগাছ Bannilgach
- Tamil
- காவாளி kavali, கொள்ளுக்காய்வேளை kolluk-kay-velai, Kawati
- Telugu
- వెంపలి
- Kannada
- ಎಂಪಲಿ Empali, ಕೊಗ್ಗಿ Koggi, ಕೊಗ್ಗಿಲಿ Koggili
- Malayalam
- Kozhinjil, കൊഴിഞ്ഞിൽ
- Marathi
- शरपुंखा sharpankha, उन्हाळी unhali, उन्हाळी
- Gujarati
- ઘોડાકાન, શરપંખો
About Sarphonk
Common Tephrosia (Tephrosia purpurea) is an undershrub belonging to the Fabaceae family (Legume/Bean family). Members of this family are generally characterised by alternate pinnate/trifoliate leaves, raceme/panicle/head flower clusters, pod/legume fruit. It is typically found in moist deciduous forests and grasslands, also in the plains and waste places. It occurs across Himalayas, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, South Africa, Bhutan, Australia; Introduced in Tropical America. It flowers and fruits through much of the year. The species is valued in traditional medicine.
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
Sarphonk belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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