Tephrosia grandiflora

Tephrosia grandiflora, commonly known as the pink bush pea, is a short-lived shrublet of the Fabaceae family reaching heights from 30 cm to 1,5 m.

The leaves of T. grandiflora are pinnate, the three to five pairs of oval leaflets many-veined. There are small leaf stipules pressed against the stem.

The inflorescences grow on long stalks, the calyces silky. The flowers are pink or magenta, blooming at winter’s end and in spring. The pods are about 3 cm long and 8 mm wide.

The species distribution is along the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coastline and maybe inland in eastern Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The habitat is woodland and forest margins. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

There are about 400 Tephrosia species on earth, many in the tropics. South Africa has about 53 of them (Manning, 2009; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Pooley, 1998; http://redlist.sanbi.org).