Abutilon

Plants of this genus include herbs, shrubs, and trees. The herbage is generally hairy to woolly or bristly. 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 inflorescences 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 petals 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 stamens are fused into a tube lined at the mouth with anthers. Inside the tube is the branching style with head-like stigmas. The fruit is a rounded or hemispherical schizocarp with up to 20 segments, each containing a few seeds. ==Selected species==

• Abutilon bivalve • Abutilon cryptopetalum • Abutilon eremitopetalum Caum – hiddenpetal Indian mallow (Lānai in Hawaii) • Abutilon fraseri (Hook.f.) Walp. - Dwarf lantern-flower • Abutilon fruticosum Guill. & Perr. – Texas Indian mallow • Abutilon grandifolium (Willd.) Sweet – hairy Indian mallow • Abutilon guineense (Schumach.) Baker f. & Exell • Abutilon halophilum F.Muell. ex Schltdl. • Abutilon hulseanum Torr. ex A.Gray • Abutilon incanum (Link) Sweet – hoary abutilon, pelotazo (Southwestern United States, northern Mexico, Hawaii) • Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet – Indian abutilon, Indian lantern-flower, monkeybush • Abutilon julianae Endl. • Abutilon lepidum • Abutilon leucopetalum (F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Benth. – desert Chinese-lantern • Abutilon listeri Baker f. • Abutilon menziesii Seem. – kooloaula (Hawaii) • Abutilon otocarpum • Abutilon oxycarpum – small-leaved abutilon • Abutilon palmeri A.Gray – Palmer's Indian mallow • Abutilon pannosum (G.Forst.) Schltdl. • Abutilon parishii A.Watson – Parish's Indian mallow • Abutilon parvulum A.Gray – dwarf Indian mallow • Abutilon persicum • Abutilon pitcairnense Fosberg • Abutilon sachetianum Fosberg • Abutilon sandwicense (O.Deg.) Christoph. – greenflower Indian mallow (Oahu in Hawaii) • Abutilon theophrasti Medik. – butterprint, abutilon-hemp, China-jute, velvetleaf (in USA), swamp Chinese-lantern, common yellow mallow Hybrids • Abutilon × hybridum (unknown parentage) Formerly placed here • Corynabutilon vitifolium (Cav.) Kearney (as A. vitifolium (Cav.) C.Presl) • Pseudabutilon thurberi (as A. thurberi A.Gray) • Callianthe megapotamica (as A. megapotamicum ) • Callianthe × milleri (as A. × milleri ; A. megapotamicum × A. pictum) • Callianthe picta (as A. pictum ) • Callianthe striata Donnell (as A. striatum ) ==Cultivation==

Some abutilons are cultivated as garden plants. Several hybrids and cultivars have been developed. Cultivars, hybrids, and species that have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit include: • A. megapotamicum • 'Canary Bird' ==Gallery==

File:Abutilon theophrasti 002.jpg|Abutilon theophrasti File:Starr 021209-0009 Abutilon incanum.jpg|Abutilon incanum Image:Abutilonmenziesii2web.jpg|Abutilon menziesii File:Abutilon pictum 02.jpg|Abutilon pictum File:Abutilon Kentish Belle.JPG|Abutilon 'Kentish Belle' File:Abutilon_megapotamicum2500604731.jpg|Abutilon megapotamicum File:Abutilon Indicum 7288.JPG|Abutilon indicum File:Starr 031210-0131 Abutilon grandifolium.jpg|Abutilon grandifolium ==References==