DESCRIPTION: This group consists of annual and perennial, evergreen and deciduous shrubs and herbaceous plants. They are natives of Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. A. hermanniae is a pretty, dwarf, deciduous shrub that is suitable for growing in the rock garden. It has small, thin leaves consisting of three leaflets. However, since the side leaflets are so small, the leaves seem to consist of only one. From early to mid-summer, clusters of two to eight, pea-like flowers are borne. These are yellow marked with orange. A. montana (Kidney Vetch or Jupiter's Beard) is a hardy shrub that only grows to about 6 inches high. It has downy, gray leaves and thick clusters of purplish-pink flowers, in June.
POTTING: These shrubs should be planted in the fall or spring in any average, well-drained soil, in full sun.
PROPAGATION: Seeds may be sown in pots of sandy soil in a frame, in the spring. Cuttings may be inserted in sand or sandy soil in a cold frame or outdoors in a shady area in pots covered with a bell jar, in July or August. The plants may also be lifted and divided in September and the rooted pieces replanted.
VARIETIES: A. montana (Kidney Vetch, Jupiter's Beard); A. hermanniae; A. Vulneraria (Lady's Fingers or Woundwort); A. Barba-Jovis.