Tephrosia candida
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Trudy Seagon
Posted on: March 2, 1999

I bought a packet of these seed from you last year and the germination has been very successful. However, I am now having some difficulty finding out anything about it’s general habit & cultivation, except that it’s a plant of the "humid tropics". Can you tell me, or direct me to somewhere where I can find out (I’ve searched the web but not much luck), how tall it grows and what it’s soil preferences are?

I live in Suffolk, in the UK, so I don’t expect it to reach full potential here, but I’d like to give it the best chance. On the other hand, I don’t want to plant it on the vegetable patch and then find I’ve got a triffid on my hands!!

The plant survives out of doors in zones 10b to the tropics. It is not fussy about soil, but does better in rich loam. It is often used as a green manure because it grows so easily. It is a shrub that will get to 10 feet tall (3 meters), but I have not heard that it has triffid characteristics!

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