Abutilon, Parlour Maple, Flowering Maple, Spotted
Abutilon pictum
Family: Malvaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Mid spring. Form: Spreading or horizontal, Upright or erect.
Abutilon pictum is an evergreen Shrub growing to 5 m (16ft) by 2 m (6ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 5
Where it is found
Cultivated as an ornamental plant, it is not known in a truly wild situation.
S. America - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Flowers - raw or cooked. A delicious sweet flavour. The flowers produce nectar all the time they are open so, assuming the plant is grown indoors and is not visited by pollinating insects, the sweetness increases the longer the flower is open.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Hedge, Specimen. Requires a sunny position or part day shade in a fertile well-drained soil. Dislikes drought. This species is only hardy in the very mildest areas of Britain, being intolerant of temperatures that fall much below 0°c. Plants are often deciduous in cold winters. A deep mulch in winter and tying in growth to the wall will maximise protection in winter. If the plant is cut back by cold weather, it can resprout from the base in the spring and can flower on the current year's growth. A very ornamental plant, there are several named varieties. Several of the cultivars have golden-variegated leaves caused by a virus infection, this infection can spread to other plants. Tip-prune young plants to promote a bushy habit. Older plants tend to get rather leggy, but can be cut back almost to the base in order to promote new growth. This is best done in late winter as the plant starts to come into growth. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Special Features:Attractive foliage, Not North American native, Naturalizing.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Germination should take place within a few weeks. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots. Grow them on for at least the first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of young shoots, June in a frame. Grow on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant out in spring after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Grow on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant out in spring after the last expected frosts.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 8-10
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist