Chinese Lantern, Flowering Maple
Abutilon x hybridum
Family: Malvaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Orange, Purple, Red, Salmon, White, Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Early fall, Early spring, Early winter, Late summer, Late fall, Late spring, Late winter, Mid summer, Mid fall, Mid spring, Mid winter. Form: Spreading or horizontal, Upright or erect.
Abutilon x hybridum is an evergreen Shrub growing to 3 m (9ft) by 3 m (9ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to June. 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): 3
Where it is found
Not known in the wild.
A hybrid of garden origin, A. darwinii x A. pictum.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Flowers - raw or cooked. A delicious sweet flavour, they are excellent on their own or as part of a mixed salad. 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: 0
Espalier: A tree or other plant that is trained to grow flat against a support (such as a trellis or wall).
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Espalier, Rock garden, Specimen. Requires a sunny position or part day shade in a fertile well-drained soil. Dislikes drought. This species is only hardy in the mildest areas of Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c when given the protection of a south or south-west facing wall. It is probably hardier than either of its parents. 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 will normally resprout from the base in the spring and can flower on the current year's growth. Plants grow very rapidly for their first few years and need staking if they are not in a sheltered position. Plants tend to be short-lived in Britain, dying suddenly without any apparent cause. This is probably because they flower so profusely that they die of exhaustion. Dead-heading plants to prevent seeding can enhance longevity. Tip-prune young plants to promote a bushy habit, older plants can be cut back hard annually as new growth commences in late winter or early spring if required. There are some named forms, selected for their ornamental value. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Special Features: Attractive foliage, Blooms appear periodically throughout the year, Blooms are very showy.
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. This species is a hybrid, so the seedlings will not be true to type. 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; Shady Edge; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 9-11
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist