Tephrosia cinerea (Ashen hoarypea)

Ashen hoarypea is native to tropical and subtropical Central and South America, as well as to the Galápagos Islands. The Galápagos photos shown here may be Tephrosia decumbens, not T. cinerea.

Plants: Creeping perennial herbs are up to 2′ (60 cm) in length, with hairy stems.

Leaves: Alternate, odd pinnate, and up to 4″ (10 cm) long. Each leaf has 9-17 leaflets. Each leaflet is oblanceolate, with smooth edges.

Flowers: Flowers appear at branch tips or leaf axils, in small racemes. Each flower has five partially fused hairy sepals that form a tube, and a corolla with five purple to pink petals. As with other pea family plants, the upper or “banner” petal is large, with two side or “wing” petals, and two more fused bottom or “keel” petals.

Habitats: Well drained, mostly sunny sites. Near sandy beaches and rocky sites, or human-disturbed areas.

3/31/2025 · Rábida, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador · By Kathryn Morgis

3/31/2025 · Rábida, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador · By Heather Kent

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Fabales	Legumes (pea and bean families)
Family	Fabaceae	Legume family (peas and beans)
Genus	Tephrosia	From Greek τεφρος (tephros), ”ash-colored,“ referring to the greyish tint given to the leaves by their dense trichomes
Species	cinerea	Ashy-gray, usually the foliage

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