As recorded for Sarphonk
Tephrosia purpurea
Sarphonk / Common Tephrosia सरफोंक
Hindi name · See all regional names ↓
Also known as Wild Indigo
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Sarphonk in regional languages
Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.
| Language | Regional script | Recorded Latin spelling |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | सरफोंक · शरपुंखा | Sarphonk, Sharpunkha |
| Nepali | काँडे साखिनु | Kaande Saakhinu |
| Bengali | বননীলগাছ | Bannilgach |
| Tamil | காவாளி · கொள்ளுக்காய்வேளை | kavali, kolluk-kay-velai, Kawati |
| Telugu | వెంపలి | Not recorded |
| Kannada | ಎಂಪಲಿ · ಕೊಗ್ಗಿ · ಕೊಗ್ಗಿಲಿ | Empali, Koggi, Koggili |
| Malayalam | കൊഴിഞ്ഞിൽ | Kozhinjil |
| Marathi | शरपुंखा · उन्हाळी | sharpankha, unhali |
| Gujarati | ઘોડાકાન · શરપંખો | Not recorded |
See the original recorded 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
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP native range includes Assam, India, Laccadive Is., West Himalaya Kew dataset ↗
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: Africa to Arabian Pen., Trop. & Subtrop. Asia to S. Pacific.
- Recorded habitat
- Moist deciduous forests and grasslands, also in the plains and waste places
- Explore nearby plants
- Gujarat →Rajasthan →Maharashtra →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Sarphonk
Identify Sarphonk by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a undershrub habit.
- Confirm leaf type: Pinnately compound (leaflets in rows along a stalk).
- Confirm leaf shape: Obovate.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
- In India, compare location records such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Fabaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Sarphonk.
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, Telangana, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Kerala, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Daman & Diu, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compound (leaflets in rows along a stalk)recorded
- Leaf shape
- ObovaterecordedEgg-shaped but broader near the tip rather than the base.“The plant's leaflets are obovate-oblong, somewhat wedge-shaped, equal-sided, and of a silky texture.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Glaucous (waxy blue-grey bloom)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Sarphonk itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for Sarphonk itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only.
About Sarphonk
Common Tephrosia (Tephrosia purpurea) is a low shrub in the Fabaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and 18 other states. It grows in moist deciduous forests and grasslands, also in the plains and waste places. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Uses
In practice it is long used in traditional medicine. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
Sarphonk belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Fabaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Sarphonk or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides