North America Non-native Plant

Tephrosia Oxygona

Botanical name: Tephrosia oxygona

USDA symbol: TEOX2

Native status: Not native but doesn't reproduce and persist in the wild

Tephrosia oxygona: The Mystery Plant That’s Puzzling Gardeners Ever stumbled across a plant name that sounds intriguing but leaves you scratching your head when you try to learn more about it? Meet Tephrosia oxygona, a plant that’s as mysterious as it is elusive in the gardening world. What We Know ...

Tephrosia oxygona: The Mystery Plant That’s Puzzling Gardeners

Ever stumbled across a plant name that sounds intriguing but leaves you scratching your head when you try to learn more about it? Meet Tephrosia oxygona, a plant that’s as mysterious as it is elusive in the gardening world.

What We Know (And Don’t Know) About This Enigmatic Plant

Here’s where things get interesting—and a bit frustrating if you’re hoping to add this plant to your garden. Tephrosia oxygona is one of those botanical puzzles that seems to exist more in scientific literature than in actual gardens. While it belongs to the legume family (like beans and peas), detailed information about its common names, appearance, and growing requirements is surprisingly scarce.

The Challenge of Growing the Unknown

Without clear information about this plant’s native range, growing conditions, or even what it looks like, recommending it for your garden would be like suggesting you buy a mystery box—you never know what you’re going to get!

What This Means for Your Garden

If you’re drawn to the name Tephrosia oxygona, you might want to consider these alternatives:

  • Research other Tephrosia species that are better documented and available in cultivation
  • Contact botanical gardens or plant societies that might have more information
  • Consider well-known native alternatives that provide similar benefits to your local ecosystem

A Word of Caution

Given the lack of available information about Tephrosia oxygona’s invasive potential, rarity status, and growing requirements, we’d recommend proceeding with extreme caution. It’s always best to stick with well-documented native plants that you know will thrive in your area and support local wildlife.

The Bottom Line

Sometimes the most honest advice is to admit when we don’t have enough information to make a good recommendation. Tephrosia oxygona appears to be one of those plants that exists in botanical records but hasn’t made its way into mainstream gardening—and there might be good reasons for that.

If you’re set on exploring unusual plants, consider connecting with botanical researchers or specialized plant societies who might have access to seeds or more detailed growing information. Just remember that gardening with mystery plants is definitely an adventure for experienced gardeners only!

Tephrosia Oxygona

Classification

Group

Dicot

Kingdom

Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom

Tracheobionta - Vascular plants

Superdivision

Spermatophyta - Seed plants

Division

Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants

Subdivision
Class

Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons

Subclass

Rosidae

Order

Fabales

Family

Fabaceae Lindl. - Pea family

Genus

Tephrosia Pers. - hoarypea

Species

Tephrosia oxygona Welw. ex Baker

Plant data source: USDA, NRCS 2025. The PLANTS Database. https://plants.usda.gov,. 2/25/2025. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA