Tephrosia candida
White hoary pea
Tephrosia candida, commonly known as a significant medicinal herb in various traditional practices, is valued for its diverse therapeutic properties. Native to specific tropical regions, this plant is utilized in folk medicine to treat various ailments, offering potential pharmacological benefits through its unique chemical compounds and bioactive constituents.
- Scientific name: Tephrosia candida
- Family: Fabaceae
- Native range: Africa
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Fabales, it is situated in the family Fabaceae. Specifically, it is identified by the genus Tephrosia, with the species being Tephrosia candida.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Fabales | WCVP |
| Family | Fabaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Tephrosia | WCVP |
Common Names
This plant, known scientifically as Tephrosia candida, is referred to by various common names depending on the language and region. In English, it is called the White Hoary Pea, while in Bengali, it is known as বাঙ্গারা. Across different Chinese linguistic contexts, the names vary slightly: it is called 白花鐵富豆 in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese (zh and zh-tw), whereas in Mainland China (zh-cn), it is specifically referred to as 白灰毛豆.| Language | Common Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| zh | 白花鐵富豆 | Wikidata |
| bn | বাঙ্গারা | Wikidata |
| zh-tw | 白花鐵富豆 | Wikidata |
| zh-cn | 白灰毛豆 | Wikidata |
| en | White Hoary Pea | Wikidata |
| en | white hoarypea | Wikidata |
| bn | মেডলা | Wikidata |
| zh | 短萼灰叶 | Wikidata |
| zh | 山毛豆 | Wikidata |
| zh | 白花鐡富豆 | Wikidata |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a diverse distribution across several key regions in the African continent. Within West Tropical Africa, it can be found growing in both Ghana and Sierra Leone. Its range extends into West-Central Tropical Africa, where it is present in Cameroon and the Gulf of Guinea Islands. Additionally, the species is documented within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These locations highlight its presence across both West and West-Central tropical zones.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| West Tropical Africa | Ghana | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Sierra Leone | WCVP |
| West-Central Tropical Africa | Cameroon | WCVP |
| West-Central Tropical Africa | Gulf of Guinea Is. | WCVP |
| West-Central Tropical Africa | DR Congo | WCVP |
| East Tropical Africa | Kenya | WCVP |
| East Tropical Africa | Tanzania | WCVP |
| East Tropical Africa | Uganda | WCVP |
| South Tropical Africa | Malawi | WCVP |
| South Tropical Africa | Mozambique | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, Tephrosia candida, is primarily utilized for its medicinal properties through the use of its aerial parts. These above-ground structures, which encompass the stems, leaves, and flowers, contain the bioactive compounds necessary for its therapeutic applications. In various traditional practices, these aerial parts are often collected, dried, and processed to create infusions or extracts used to treat different ailments.- Total parts
- 1
- Scientific sources
- 1
| Plant Part | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| aerial parts | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Tephrosia candida has 3 reported phytochemicals identified across 3 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include candidachalcone, pisatin, sesquiterpene.
- Total chemicals
- 3
- Scientific sources
- 3
Most Reported Compounds
| Compound | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| candidachalcone | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| pisatin | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| sesquiterpene | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |