General Description:

Aotus is a small genus of about 15 species, all of which are Australian endemics. All are small to medium shrubs commonly referred to as “bush peas”. Together with some related genera such as Dillwynia and Phyllota they are also referred to as “eggs and bacon”, a reference to the yellow flowers with red markings.

Aotus ericoides is a shrub with an upright habit of growth to about 2 metres high by 1.5 metres wide.  Leaves are variable and may be oval, lanceolate or linear in shape, from 2-20 mm long and up to 5 mm wide with recurved margins. The flowers occur in the upper leaf axils and have the typical “pea” shape consisting of 4 petals; the “standard”, the “keel” and two “wings”, as shown in the diagram. The yellow or orange flowers are longer than they are wide (about 12 mm long by 7 mm across), which is typical of most species in the genus. Flowers are seen mainly in spring and are followed by small seed pods containing one or two seeds.

Aotus species are not often seen in cultivation. A.ericoides should be suited to well drained soils in a sunny or semi-shaded position. It is tolerant of at least moderate frost.

Propagation would be expected to be easy from seed following pre-treatment to break the physical dormancy provided by the impervious seed coat. Pre-treatment can be carried out by abrasion or by the use of boiling water (further details can be found in under the “Propagation” tab of the “Pea Family” page). The seed retains viability for many years. Propagation from cuttings should also be successful using firm, current season’s growth.