Abutilon palmeri

Abutilon palmeri, known as Palmer's abutilon, superstition mallow, and Palmer's Indian mallow,[1][2] is a species of flowering plant native the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Abutilon palmeri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Abutilon
Species:
A. palmeri
Binomial name
Abutilon palmeri
Gray

The plant is found in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, and in Southern California in the Sonoran Colorado Desert and adjacent eastern foothill ecotones of the Peninsular Ranges.

Description

Abutilon palmeri is a semi-evergreen shrub growing 3–8 feet (0.91–2.44 m) high by 2–5 feet (0.61–1.52 m) wide.[1] The branch and stem coloration is green to reddish brown and pubescent.[3]

The alternate leaves are velvety and heart-shaped (nearly round to cordate). The leaves are serrate and densely woolly, giving a bluish, grey-green cast to the foliage.

The cup-shaped flowers are yellow to orange with 5 petals and approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) in size. It blooms for most of the year.[4]

The plant produces small, capsular fruits approximately 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) in diameter each. The fruit is multi-parted and covered with silky pubescence similar to the foliage.

Cultivation

Abutilon palmeri is cultivated as an ornamental plant by specialty nurseries for planting in native plant, xeriscape, wildlife gardens, and in natural landscaping projects in warm climates.[5]

References
  1. Palmer's Indian Mallow, Superstition Mallow (Abutilon palmeri)
  2. ITIS Standard Report Page: Abutilon palmeri
  3. Abutilon palmeri Fact SheetArchived May 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Abutilon palmeri Palmer's Indian Mallow: Plant Phenology". iNaturalist.org. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  5. Las Pilitas Horticultural Database: Abutilon palmeri (Indian Mallow)
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