Abutilon/əˈbjuːtɪlɒn/[3] is a large
genus of
flowering plants in the mallow family,
Malvaceae.[4] It is distributed throughout the
tropics and
subtropics[5] of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia.[6] General common names include Indian mallow[7] and velvetleaf;[8] ornamental varieties may be known as room maple, parlor maple, or flowering maple.
The genus name is an 18th-century
Neo-Latin word[9] that came from the Arabic ’abū-ṭīlūn (أبو طيلون),[10] the name given by
Avicenna to this or a similar genus.[11]
The
type species is Abutilon theophrasti. 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,
shrubs, and
trees.[5] They range in height from about 0.5 to 3 meters (1.5 to 10 feet).[12] The herbage is generally hairy to woolly or bristly.[13] 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,[5] 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.[5][13]
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 61 to 74 °F (16 to 23 °C). 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.[30]