Tephrosia vogelii
species of plant

Tephrosia vogelii, the Vogel's tephrosia, fish-poison-bean or Vogel tephrosia (English), tefrósia (Portuguese) or barbasco guineano (Spanish), is a flowering plant species in the genus Tephrosia.
It is a herb or small tree that is native to tropical Africa and has also been used in tropical America as well as South and Southeast Asia. It is commonly used to deter pests and diseases, specifically fleas and ticks on animals. It is not suitable for livestock or human consumption because it is not highly nutritious and can be poisonous for fish and some other animals. Since it is a nitrogen-fixing plant, it can be intercropped with other plants and used as a source of green manure.
Tephrosia vogelii is commonly known as the “fish bean”, “fish-poison bean”, or “vogel’s tephrosia”.
It is a small tree used by farmers in numerous countries in Africa to get rid of pests on livestock, control pests in cultivated fields as an organic pesticide, improves soil fertility, as a medicine for skin diseases and internal worms, and for storage of crops. The use of “Tephrosia leaf extract as a low cost acaricide is spreading to farmers in central Kenya” and has been very successful in terms of its results.
Description
Tephrosia vogelii is a soft, woody herb with dense foliage. It stands 0.5–4 m tall, and contains stems and branches with short and long white or rusty brown hairs.
The public source identifies “Tephrosia vogelii” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Tephrosia, vogelii and species.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Tephrosia vogelii”, the useful work is to connect “species of plant” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3206576. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Tephrosia vogelii”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Tephrosia vogelii primary sources, Tephrosia vogelii archive and Tephrosia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Tephrosia vogelii”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Tephrosia vogelii” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.