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Tephrosia purpurea

(L.) Pers. (1807)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Tephrosia

‘auhola [auhola], ‘auhuhu [auhuhu], hola

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: short-lived subshrubs up to 1.5 m tall.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound. Alternate. Leaflets 7–15(–21), oblanceolate, elliptic–oblong, or obovate, (5–)10–32 mm long, (2–)5–11 mm wide. Lower surfaces inconspicuously strigillose. Leaflet margins entire. Lateral veins paired, parallel, forming a sharp angle with the midrib, extending to the margin. Petiolate. Stipules present.

Flowers: Flowers in clusters on a short, upcurved just before reflexion of the standard, in inflorescences up to 25 cm long, thick axis, bracts present. Flowers papilionaceous; bracteoles absent. Calyx 5-lobed, strigillose to sericeous, teeth deltate, the lowest one 2.5–3 mm long, the others 2–2.5 mm long. Corolla pale pink, purple, or sometimes nearly white, standard 6–10 mm long, standard suborbicular, without basal auricles. Stamens 10; upper stamen distinct at base, the other 9 connate into a tube. Ovary superior, sessile.

Fruit: Pods linear; 20–45 mm long; 3–5 mm wide; strigillose; beaked; curved slightly upward toward tip; twisting when dehisced. Seeds 2–9; pale brown to black; rectangular to transversely elliptic; 2.5–5 mm long; 1.8–3 mm wide.

Ploidy: 2n = 16; 22; 24; 44

Habitat: Primarily on dry; rocky; or clay soil in coastal sites; on open lava fields; dry slopes; and ridges; and in pastures.

Elevation Range: 5–610 m.

Historical Distribution

Accepted Subtaxa (in Hawai'i) (1)

Tephrosia purpurea var. purpurea

Uses and Culture

USES

  • Parts of the plant contain tephrosin, which stuns fish but not mammals, used in tide pools to poison & capture fish (Abbott 1992:86).

  • The leaves and leaf buds are ground and mixed with salt, niu (coconut, Cocos nucifera), as a topical treatment for cuts; also for itchy skin (Chun 1994:49).

CULTURE

  • [I] He ‘apu ‘auhuhu koheoheo. A poisonous concoction made of ‘auhuhu. A person of poisonous nature. [II] He i‘a ua nipoa i ka ‘auhuhu. A fish stunned by ‘auhuhu juice. Said of one under the influence of sorcery or other evil.

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Ni'ihau(Incl. Lehua) Naturalized
Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Kaho'olawe Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Specimens

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Notes

  • 5-610m
  • Description digitized by Joanne Lum
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • leaves contain tephrosin, which drugs fish but not mammals

Bibliography

Name Published In: Syn. Pl. 2: 329 (1807)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Tephrosia purpurea Nokukano Development Site makai of the belt road. Captin Cook. On the small ridge which runs mauka-makai from the old railroad tressel to just above the ocean Found among rocks. Preserved_Specimen Funk, E.J. Hawaii BISH 1991-11-01
2 Tephrosia purpurea Nokukano Development Site makai of the belt road. Captin Cook. On the small ridge which runs mauka-makai from the old railroad tressel to just above the ocean Found among rocks. Preserved_Specimen Funk, E.J. Hawaii BISH 1991-11-01
3 Tephrosia purpurea Kamiloloa Heights Dry lowland shrubland. Preserved_Specimen Shrub 1-2m; erect, branching out to 0.5m diam.; woody stem. Similar to Indigofera suffruticosa. Seeds similar to Macroptilium lathyroides but larger. Hughes, G.D. Molokai BISH 1992-01-08
4 Tephrosia purpurea Kawaa Bay, Kau Preserved_Specimen Meinecke, W.H. 50 Hawaii BISH 1969-12-05
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