Tephrosia \Te*phro"si*a\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? ash-colored, from ? ashes.]

(Bot.) A genus of leguminous shrubby plants and herbs, mostly found in tropical countries, a few herbaceous species being North American. The foliage is often ashy-pubescent, whence the name.

Note: The Tephrosia toxicaria is used in the West Indies and in Polynesia for stupefying fish. T. purpurea is used medicinally in the East Indies. T. Virginia is the goat's rue of the United States.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)