Sweet Pea Shrub, Myrtle-leaf Milkwort, September Bush, Sweet Pea Bush

In its native South Africa, Polygala is a fast-growing evergreen shrub found on dunes, rocky places, along forest margins, beside streams, and in open grassland. The Polygala genus consists of 659 species, which thrive solely in tropical and temperate climates. Some of the Polygala species were tested for their antibacterial and antifungal properties and proved effective in inhibiting Candida species.

P. myrtifolia is a vigorously growing, pleasantly symmetrical shrub that can reach up to eight feet high and six feet wide. From spring to fall, the plant is a feast of blossoms in the shape of sweet-pea-like flowers, which may be mauve, crimson, pink, or white in color. Upon pollination, the shrub bears fruit shaped as small oval brown capsules.

The plant is called Myrtle-leaf Milkwort because some believed that P. myrtifolia stimulated milk production in European cows, and the plant has 'myrtle-shaped leaves'.

Height: 4 to 8 feet
Width: 4 to 6.5 feet
Leaves: evergreen

Soil: clay, loam, sand, moist but well-drained
pH: acid, alkaline, neutral
Exposure: full sun to partial shade, sheltered from winds

Water: moderate
Tolerance: drought
Toxicity: not toxic

Brazilian Journal of Microbiology. (2011, September 1). Antifungal activity of five species of Polygala. doi: 10.1590/S1517-838220110003000027. National Library of Medicine, PMID: 24031724. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768791/

iNaturalist. (n.d.). Sweet Pea Shrub (Polygala myrtifolia). https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/181610-Polygala-myrtifolia

Plant Database. (n.d.). Sweet Pea Bush (Polygala myrtifolia). https://garden.org/plants/view/117583/Sweet-Pea-Bush-Polygala-myrtifolia/

Shoot Gardening. (n.d.). Polygala myrtifolia (Myrtle-leaf milkwort). https://www.shootgardening.com/plants/polygala-myrtifolia