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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Fabaceae = Pea Family |
| Origin: Australia (Australasia) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Red & Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Winter/Spring |
| Fragrant Flowers: Yes |
| Synonyms: (Eutaxia obovata, Dillwynia obovata) |
| Height: 2-4 feet |
| Width: 2-4 feet |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Eutaxia myrtifolia (Egg and Bacon Plant) A dense upright shrub to 2 to 4 feet tall by nearly as wide. It has lime-green leaves and from late winter through spring bears an abundance of attractive and lightly fragrant half inch wide pea flowers that have a bright egg-yellow standard with red wings and keel. Takes cool coastal full sun but best when planted in part day sun or a light shade in a well-drained soil with regular to occasional irrigation. Hardy to 20 to 25° F. Tip prune when young to encourage a bushier growth habit. This is an attractive plant with a long lasting flower display that is useful in a a light shady location. It can planted alone as a specimen, or planted as a low informal hedge or screening plant. Eutaxia myrtifolia is native to the moist karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) forests in south-west Western Australia, from Bunbury to east of Esperance. The genus name is from the Greek words 'eu' meaning "well" and 'taxis' meaning "arrangement" which is thought to be a reference to the regular arrangement of the leaves along the stem. The specific epithet is Latin in reference to the genus Myrtus combined with 'folia' meaning "leaves" that reflects the resemblance of the leaves to some species of Myrtle (in the genus Myrtus). This plant is most often listed as Eutaxia obovata but Eutaxia obovata (Labill.) C.A.Gardner is now considered to be a synonym of Eutaxia myrtifolia (Sm.) R.Br. In older books it lists the reverse with Eutaxia obovata the current name, but in the 2010 issue of Nutsia (The journal of the Western Australian Herbarium) in an article titled "An account of Eutaxia (Leguminosae: Mirbelieae) with a focus on the Western Australian species" authors Carolyn Wilkins, Jennifer Chappill and Gemma Henderson noted that while Eutaxia obovata is the older name, it cannot be used to describe this taxon as it had been previously used by Nikolai Turczaninow in 1853 to describe a different species now synonymous with Eutaxia parvifolia. Our thanks go out to Jo O'Connell at Australian Native Plants for providing this plant to us and for allowing us to use her picture of it.
This information about Eutaxia myrtifolia displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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