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Plants

white tephrosia

Tephrosia candida

Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Tephrosia

white hoarypea

Placenta II Low Mulch biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🪓 Coppices after cutting
C.Presl · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

A short-lived (3-4 years) perennial leguminous shrub of 1-3 m, native to India and widely introduced across the tropics. It fixes nitrogen and is grown as green manure and cover, in improved fallows and intercropped with maize. It releases nitrogen slowly because it binds to polyphenols, prolonging the effect on the following crop — a good cover-biomass species.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Placenta II
Ecological role
Pioneer
Primary stratum
Low
Strata
Low, Medium
Biomass class
Mulch biomass

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
Moderate
Waterlogging tolerance
None
Soil pH range
3.5–7.5
Preferred soil texture
Loamy, Sandy, Clayey
Hardiness zones
10–12

Morphology

Mature height
1–3 m
Recommended spacing
0.4–0.9 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Deep
Growth rate
Fast
Lifespan
3–6 years
Productive lifespan
4 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

White tephrosia takes the Low stratum in the Placenta II phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time. It also fixes nitrogen, feeding the soil for its line neighbors.

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Emergent High Medium Low · ≈3 m Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Requires 700-2500 mm annual rainfall and temperatures of 18-28 C; tolerates a wide range of soils (pH 5.0-8.0). Seeds and leaves contain rotenone — not for forage.

✂️ Management & Pruning

A vigorously resprouting nitrogen-fixing shrub for chop-and-drop and contour hedgerows. Slow to establish (deep-rooting), with maximum growth in the 2nd year. For green manure/cover, cut back before flowering and surface-mulch or incorporate (~25–30 t/ha green matter/yr in 3 cuttings). It withstands 3–4 years of repeated cutting as a lopped hedgerow that releases light to shade-sensitive crops. Cut at the onset of the rainy season; with age it turns woody and fungus-prone — plan replacement rather than indefinite coppicing.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: April, May, June, July

Fruiting months: July, August, September

❓ Frequently asked questions

What spacing is recommended for white tephrosia?

The recommended spacing for white tephrosia is 0.4–0.9 m.

How tall does white tephrosia grow?

At maturity, white tephrosia reaches 1–3 m tall.

When does white tephrosia fruit?

Fruiting of white tephrosia occurs in July, August, September.

When does white tephrosia flower?

Flowering of white tephrosia occurs in April, May, June, July.

What stage and stratum does white tephrosia occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, white tephrosia belongs to the placenta ii stage, occupying the low stratum.

Does white tephrosia fix nitrogen?

Yes — white tephrosia is a nitrogen-fixing species that helps fertilize the system's soil.

Functions

🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🌿 Biomass producer Ground cover Pest repellent

Propagation

Seed

Citations

  1. Garden Organic / HDRA No. TGM16 — White tephrosia (nitrogen_fixer, biomass_class, ph_min, ph_max, lifespan_years_min, lifespan_years_max, water_need, productive_lifespan_years, pruning_notes)
  2. Wikipedia: Tephrosia candida (scientific_name, height_min_m, height_max_m, gotsch_stage, functions)
  3. World Agroforestry (ICRAF) / Orwa AgroforesTree Database — Tephrosia candida (pruning_notes, root_depth, ph_min, ph_max, waterlogging_tolerance, spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m)
  4. PFAF Plant Database — Tephrosia candida (hardiness_zone_min, hardiness_zone_max, ph_min, ph_max, waterlogging_tolerance)
  5. Plants of the World Online (POWO), Kew (scientific_name, powo_id)

External references

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