FNA: Abutilon vs. Abutilon hirtum

Phenology

Flowering year-round.

Habitat

Disturbed sites

Elevation

0–100 m (0–300 ft)

Distribution

United States; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Asia; Africa; Australia

[BONAP county map]

FL; Asia; Africa; Australia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, West Indies (Cuba, Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico), Central America, South America (Peru, Venezuela)]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Species ca. 160 (18 in the flora).

Abutilon is mostly tropical and subtropical with relatively few species reaching into fully temperate climates.

The South American native Abutilon megapotamicum (A. Sprengel) A. Saint-Hilaire & Naudin (= A. vexillarium E. Morren) is sometimes grown as a basket plant in colder regions and perhaps in the open in frost-free areas; it is not naturalized in the flora area. Another South American species, A. striatum Dickson ex Lindley [= A. pictum (Gillies ex Hooker) Walpers], has been widely introduced elsewhere as an ornamental and is naturalized in some tropical countries. This species is grown in North American gardens as a perennial in warmer climates and an annual in colder ones, but is not known to be naturalized in the flora area. Abutilon indicum (Linnaeus) Sweet has been said to be naturalized in southern Florida (L. H. Bailey et al. 1976); its occurrence in the flora area has not been substantiated. This species has an Indo-Australian origin (J. van Borssum Waalkes 1966) and is naturalized in the West Indies. Abutilon grandifolium (Willdenow) Sweet is sometimes cultivated and may escape.

Outside North America, plants of Abutilon may be arborescent, and their corollas may be of other colors although yellow or yellow-orange predominates.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Abutilon hirtum has been found in Alachua, Lake, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties, primarily in the Florida Keys. It is native in tropical parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key

1. Styles 5-branched	→ 2
1. Styles 6–25-branched	→ 6
2. Stems trailing; leaf blades sparsely pubescent, surface visible; flowers solitary; petals pinkish, without dark center.	A. parvulum
3. Calyces 5–8 mm; corollas rotate, petals 9–15 mm, yellow, without dark center; leaf blade margins sharply serrate	→ 4
3. Calyces 3–5 mm; corollas often reflexed, petals 4–6 mm, yellow or pink, often with dark center; leaf blade margins irregularly crenate-serrate	→ 5
4. Calyces 5–6 mm, lobes fully reflexed in fruit; petals 10–15 mm; inflorescences open panicles or solitary flowers.	A. coahuilae
4. Calyces 6–8 mm, lobes erect in fruit; petals 9–15 mm; inflorescences compact panicles.	A. malacum
5. Young stems terete, minutely tomentulose; fruits cask-shaped, not medially constricted	A. incanum
5. Young stems 3-sulcate, often viscid in inflorescence; fruits subcylindric, medially constricted.	A. trisulcatum
6. Stems pubescent and with simple hairs 2–5 mm	→ 7
7. Stems viscid; corollas orange-yellow with dark red center; styles 20–25-branched	A. hirtum
7. Stems not viscid; corollas pale yellow or yellow-orange without red center; styles 6–12-branched	→ 8
8. Petals 20 mm, yellowish, fading pinkish; seeds 4–6 per mericarp	A. hulseanum
8. Petals 5–12 mm, yellowish or yellow-orange, not fading pinkish; seeds 3 per mericarp	→ 9
9. Leaf blades 10–20 cm; inflorescences paniculate; petals 5–8 mm; styles 8–10-branched.	A. mollicomum
9. Leaf blades 2.5–6.5 cm; inflorescences solitary flowers; petals 8–12 mm; styles 6–8-branched.	A. parishii
10. Apices of mericarps spinose.	A. theophrasti
10. Apices of mericarps not spinose (obtuse, rounded, acute, acuminate, or apiculate)	→ 11
11. Plants procumbent or ascending, to 0.5 m; leaf blades 1.5–4 cm, ± as long as wide, markedly discolorous; styles 6–9-branched.	A. wrightii
11. Plants erect, 0.5–2 m; leaf blades 2–12(–20) cm, often longer than wide, concolorous or discolorous; styles 6–15-branched	→ 12
12. Styles 13–15-branched; calyx lobes broadly cordate, often 8–20+ mm wide, accrescent in fruit.	A. hypoleucum
12. Styles 6–12-branched; calyx lobes cordate, lanceolate-ovate, or acuminate, to 8 mm wide, little if at all accrescent	→ 13
13. Calyces 3–6 mm	→ 14
13. Calyces 8–15(–20) mm	→ 15
14. Styles 6–9-branched; mericarp apices acute or apiculate; stems stellate-tomentulose; leaf blades ± concolorous.	A. fruticosum
14. Styles 10-branched; mericarp apices rounded or obtuse; stems minutely glandular-pubescent to glabrate; leaf blades strongly discolorous.	A. reventum
15. Leaf blades roughly pubescent; styles 8–10-branched	→ 16
15. Leaf blades softly tomentose; styles 10–12-branched	→ 17
16. Stems without glandular hairs; seeds reticulately scabridulous; calyx basally truncate.	A. abutiloides
16. Stems with glandular and stellate hairs intermixed; seeds uniformly puberulent; calyx basally cuneate.	A. berlandieri
17. Leaf blades ± as wide as long; petals 20–25 mm; stems stellate-pubescent and sometimes with simple hairs 1–2 mm.	A. palmeri
17. Leaf blades ca. 2 times as long as wide; petals 10–18 mm; stems stellate-pubescent.	A. permolle