genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s in the mallow family,
Malvaceae
Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...
. It is distributed throughout the
tropics
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
and
subtropics
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately ...
''Abutilon''. Flora of China. of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia. General common names include Indian mallow''Abutilon''. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). and velvetleaf; ornamental varieties may be known as room maple, parlor maple, or flowering maple.
The genus name is an 18th-century
Neo-Latin
Neo-LatinSidwell, Keith ''Classical Latin-Medieval Latin-Neo Latin'' in ; others, throughout. (also known as New Latin and Modern Latin) is the style of written Latin used in original literary, scholarly, and scientific works, first in Italy d ...
word that came from the Arabic ' (), the name given by
Avicenna
Ibn Sina ( – 22 June 1037), commonly known in the West as Avicenna ( ), was a preeminent philosopher and physician of the Muslim world, flourishing during the Islamic Golden Age, serving in the courts of various Iranian peoples, Iranian ...
to this or a similar genus.
The
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
is ''
Abutilon theophrasti
''Abutilon theophrasti,'' also known as velvetleaf, velvet plant, velvetweed and the Chinese jute is an annual plant in the Family (biology), family Malvaceae that is native to South Asia, southern Asia and it serves as a type species of the genu ...
''. Several species formerly placed in ''Abutilon'', including the cultivated species and hybrids commonly known as "flowering maples", have recently (2012, 2014) been transferred to the new genus '' Callianthe''.
Description
Plants of this genus include herbs,
shrub
A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...
s, and
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...
s. They range in height from about . The herbage is generally hairy to woolly or bristly.''Abutilon''. The Jepson eFlora 2013. The leaf blades are usually entire, but the occasional species has lobed leaves. They are palmately veined and have wavy or serrated edges. Flowers are solitary, paired, or borne in small
inflorescence
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
s in the leaf axils or toward the branch tips. The calyx is bell-shaped with five lobes. The corolla is usually bell-shaped to wheel-shaped, with five
petal
Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...
s joined at the bases.
The flowers of wild species are most often yellow or orange, but can be red or pinkish, sometimes with a darker center. The
stamen
The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...
s are fused into a tube lined at the mouth with anthers. Inside the tube is the branching
style
Style, or styles may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal
* ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film
* ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film
* '' ...
with head-like stigmas. The fruit is a rounded or hemispherical
schizocarp
A schizocarp is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps.
There are different definitions:
* Any Dry fruits, dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate.
: Under this definition the mericarps can contain one or more ...
with up to 20 segments, each containing a few seeds.
Species
There are about 200 species in the genus.
Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
History
Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...
accepts 177 species.
Species include:
*'' Abutilon abutiloides'' ( Jacq.) Garcke – bushy abutilon, shrubby Indian mallow
*''
Abutilon affine
''Abutilon'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropicsAbutilon albidum
''Abutilon'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropicsAbutilon auritum
''Abutilon'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropicsWall. ex Link) Sweet – Asian Indian mallow
*''
Baker
A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery.
History
Ancient histo ...
Schltdl.
Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal (27 November 1794, Xanten – 12 October 1866, Halle an der Saale, Halle) was a German botanist.
Life and work
Von Schlechtendal was born in Xanten, Xanten am Rhein and when his father Diederich Fried ...
*''
Abutilon hirtum
''Abutilon'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropicsLam.) Sweet – Florida Keys Indian mallow
*'' Abutilon hulseanum'' Torr. ex A.Gray
*'' Abutilon hypoleucum'' A.Gray – whiteleaf Indian mallow
*''
Abutilon incanum
''Abutilon incanum'', also known as hoary abutilon, pelotazo, pelotazo chico, tronadora, and ''mao'' (Hawaiian language, Hawaii), is a shrub widespread throughout the arid, warm regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico as wel ...
'' (Link) Sweet – hoary abutilon, pelotazo (
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...
, northern
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
Oahu
Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...
Abutilon theophrasti
''Abutilon theophrasti,'' also known as velvetleaf, velvet plant, velvetweed and the Chinese jute is an annual plant in the Family (biology), family Malvaceae that is native to South Asia, southern Asia and it serves as a type species of the genu ...
Some abutilons are cultivated as garden plants. Several hybrids and
cultivar
A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
s have been developed.
Cultivars, hybrids, and species that have gained the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
's
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
It includes the full range of cultivated p ...
include:
*''A. megapotamicum''
*''A.'' × ''milleri''
*'Canary Bird'
*'Cannington Carol'
*'Cannington Peter'
*'Kentish Belle'
*'Linda Vista Peach'
*'Marion'
*'Nabob'
*'Orange Glow'
*'Savitzii'
*'Souvenir de Bonn'
*'Veronica Tennant'
Abutilons can be propagated from seed or via cuttings. ''A. megapoticum'' is grown as a house plant, but needs considerable light, including several hours of sunlight per day, and moderate temperatures of . The best potting medium is a loose soil rich in organic material and sand and watered when dry to the touch. The amount of watering should be reduced from November to March and the plant pruned back one third at the end of this rest period. The plant is prone to attack by scale insects. The plant is best replaced every two to three years with new specimens.
Gallery
File:Abutilon theophrasti 002.jpg, ''
Abutilon theophrasti
''Abutilon theophrasti,'' also known as velvetleaf, velvet plant, velvetweed and the Chinese jute is an annual plant in the Family (biology), family Malvaceae that is native to South Asia, southern Asia and it serves as a type species of the genu ...
Abutilon incanum
''Abutilon incanum'', also known as hoary abutilon, pelotazo, pelotazo chico, tronadora, and ''mao'' (Hawaiian language, Hawaii), is a shrub widespread throughout the arid, warm regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico as wel ...