Kiesera serica Reinw

Tephrosia candida is an erect herb, shrub or small tree, up to 3.5 m tall, with straggling branches from the base. Leaves spirally arranged, imparipinnate; stipules 5-11 x 0.8-1.5 mm, often caducous; rachis (including the petiole) up to 22.5 cm long, with brown indumentum, 6-13 pairs leaflets, opposite, narrowly ovate, elliptical to narrowly obovate, 1.3-7.5 x 0.5-1.7 cm, glaucous green, soft, with silvery indumentum, base and apex acute, long-mucronate, venation distinct below. Inflorescence a terminal, axillary or leaf-opposed pseudo-raceme, 2.5-40 cm long; basal bracts few, leaflike, upper bracts narrowly triangular, 2.2-6 x 0.5-1.5 mm, often caducous; flowers in fascicles of 5-13, 13-26 mm long, white, silky, with dark brown hairs on the outside; calyx campanulate, standard broadly ovate to obovate, 13-25 x 11-25 mm, apex rounded to emarginate, acuminate, claw 1-5 mm long, wings 12-20 x 5.5-13 mm, glabrous, claw 1-4.4 mm long; keel 11-20 x 3-10 mm, glabrous, lateral pockets sometimes bulging, claw 1.5-5 mm long, stamens 10, vexillary filament free at base, connate half way, other filaments alternately longer and shorter. Pod linear, 7-12 cm x 0.5-1 cm, green or brown with silky hairs, slightly convex around the 10-15 seeds. Seed broadly ovoid, 4-5.5 x 3-4 mm, brown or greyish-brown with dark patches. The specific name means pure white in Greek.

Flowering times range from all year round in Malaysia to only 2 months of the year in Vietnam. Overmature pods will shatter and lose their seeds.

Grown on sandy soils in coastal areas and on very poor, eroded upland soils and mine spoils where few other crops can grow. It tolerates a pH of 3.5-7; the more acidic soils seem to be more suitable.

The habitat of T. candida is primary and secondary forest, higher locations in sago-palm swamps and disturbed places such as roadsides, riverbanks, steep slopes and fields. It grows in the seasonally dry tropics and does not tolerate frost or waterlogging.

T. candida is native to the tropical foothills of the Himalayas in India and is now cultivated and naturalized throughout Southeast Asia. It has also been introduced in the West Indies and South America and has been tested in Africa.

Before sowing, seed is soaked for 4-5 hours. It should be sown just before or during the rainy season. The germination rate of fresh seed is 95-100%, but viability decreases rapidly unless seeds are stored in a cool, dry place. When broadcasting, a planting density of 50 000-60 000/ha is aimed at, requiring 15-20 kg seed.

T. candida is deep rooting and slow to establish but grows steadily thereafter. Young plants should be kept free from weeds. On poor soils, it responds well to fertilizers, especially phosphorus. On fertile soils, 25-30 t/ha of green matter can be harvested annually in 3 cuttings. Maximum growth normally takes place in the 2nd year after planting, but with regular pruning a dense cover can be maintained for many years. Spacings of 40-90 x 10 cm are reported for intercropping, depending on the associated crop. Produces biomass of about 12-18 t/ha per year when mixed with cassava, and 20-40 t/ha per year or more in monoculture.

In Indonesia, the tephrosia beetle (Araeocerus fasciculatus) attacks young pods; it used to be a serious pest, making seed difficult to obtain, but can now be easily controlled with insecticides. T. candida is susceptible to the root fungi Ganoderma spp. and Rosellinia spp. and to the nematode Heterodera radicola. When weakened by shade and woody with age, it becomes liable to attack by Fomes spp.

Seed storage behaviour is orthodox. No loss in viability following 3 years in either open storage or hermetic storage at room temperature with 13% ± 2% mc. There are between 300 and 500 seeds/kg.

Erosion control: Planted to provide ground cover between perennial crops. Shade or shelter: In newly planted perennial crops such as citrus, coconut, coffee, rubber and tea, it is grown as a temporary shade crop. Reclamation: The species is suitable for rehabilitating degraded land. Nitrogen fixing: Forms root nodules with Bradyrhizobium and fixes large amounts of atmospheric nitrogen. Soil improver: T. candida not only provides nitrogen but also raises soil phosphorus and potassium levels in proportion to increased levels of organic matter. Soil structure improves, water-holding capacity and permeability increase, and soil losses caused by water erosion decrease. It can yield well on acid soils; for example, in Vietnam, green-matter content of the soil increased from 1.7 to 4%. Ornamental: T. candida is occasionally utilized as an ornamental. Boundary or barrier or support: Suitable for making hedges along contours, around fields and homegardens, as it is not eaten by domestic animals such as buffaloes and goats. It is commonly used for hedgerows, providing mulch for different upland crops. Intercropping: T. candida is widely grown in mixed cultivation, for example with pineapple, maize and other annual crops, and it is said to improve the quality of tobacco. Cassava is a shade-sensitive species and needs regular lopped hedgerows, for which T. candida is a very suitable species. It has been tried as an alley crop with cassava planted in 7-m-wide interrows. Preliminary results indicate a greatly increased yield of cassava and a considerable reduction of erosion.

Fodder: The leaves of T. candida are high in protein and can be used as fodder for pigs and cattle. Fuel: When the species becomes woody with age, it provides suitable fuelwood. Poison: Powdered leaves are used as an insecticide. There are unconfirmed reports of the bark and roots being used as a fish poison.