Scientific Name:
Abutilon
x
hybridum
Pronunciation:
uh-BEW-tih-lon HIB-rih-dum
Common Name:
Chinese lantern, parlour maple, flowering maple
Family Name:
Malvaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves usually lobed like most maples, blades about 15cm long; flowers cup-shaped, about 5cm wide; fruit rounded, capsule-like.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Round
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Garden origin, S.E. Asia / Japan / China (unknown but may involve A. darwinii, A. megapotamicum, A. pictus, or A. striatum)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 10: (-1 to 4 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Landscape Uses:
Attract butterflies, Indoor plant, Summer interest
Additional Info:
Google (locally requires winter protection). Cultivars shown include
A. 'White King',
A. 'Eric Lilac', and A. 'Kentish Belle' (compare to its unlobed parent, A. megapotamicum).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Palmate venation
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Shapes:
Obovate, Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Cordate
Margins:
Crenate, Dentate, Palmately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Campanulate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Orange, Yellow, Pink, Red
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Fruit Type:
Schizocarp, Aborted (hybrids) or absent
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Oct
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, Capsule-like: 13-20 segments that separate when ripe and then the mericarps split open like follicles to release seeds
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Other:
Move indoors before winter
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids or adelgids, Mites, Scale insects, Whitefly or psyllids (Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
