Tephrosia pentaphylla - Five-Leaf Tephrosia

Five-Leaf Tephrosia is an annual or short-lived perennial herb, growing up to 80 cm tall. Leaf-rachis, including a stalk of about 2 mm, is up up to 1 cm long. Leaflets are 3-7, most commonly 5 which gives it its species name, wedge-shaped inverted-lanceshaped, up to 2.2 cm long, and 7 mm wide, hairless above, silvery beneath. Flowers are mauve or reddish in color, borne in groups of 1-3 together in leaf axils. Calyx is silvery, 5-6 mm long with triangular-long-pointed sepals 3-4 mm long. Standard petals is fulvous-silvery, about 6 mm long. Style is hairless, not twisted, about 2 mm long. Pod is somewhat upcurved towards the tip, 4-4.5 cm long, 4 mm broad, velvet-hairy, brownish on the sutures. Seeds are 7-8, 3-4 x 2-2.5 mm. Five-Leaf Tephrosia is found in Africa and South India. Flowering: September-October.