ABUTILON. Flowering maple. Widespread, temperate and subtropical regions. This is a group of often rangy, fast growing shrubs related to and somewhat resembling Hibiscus. They have attractive large, maple-like leaves. The blossoms are saucer to lantern shaped, usually 2-3" across and of many hues—white to lavender and yellow to scarlet and crimson. Many are virtually everblooming. The following selections cover a broad range of foliar and floral types. Sun or light shade, most soils, regular watering. Hardy mostly to 20-25o when established.
‘Apollo’. A bushy selection, probably 4-5' high, with stiff, nearly black younger stems and dark, softly shiny leaves. The flowers are about 2" across, with bright yellow petals and a green calyx.
‘Halo'. Low, compact, and quite floriferous. The blossoms are nodding, broadly flared bells up to 2" across, pale apricot in color.
‘Little Imp'. A hybrid derived from A. megapotamicum, with slender stems, rather small leaves, and pendant bell shaped blossoms. The calyx, or base, is dark red, while the petals are bright yellow.
‘Mauna Loa'. A bushy, upright plant with broad, dark leaves. The flowers are exceptionally large and bright red in color.
megapotamicum hybrid. This is one of the most interesting of a group of hybrids. It is low and spreading, with slender stems. The leaves have a dark green background with copious yellow spotting. Small flowers, each with a red calyx and yellow petals, turning pale orange, nod beneath the stems.
‘Moonchimes'. An outstanding selection for smaller spaces, including planter boxes and even large hanging baskets. It is profuse in growth, with semi-trailing stems and large, soft leaves. The plant is essentially everblooming. Broad, soft yellow flowers nod beneath the leaves.
‘Nabob’ is one of the most sought after hybrids. Though the plant is a bit stiff and awkward in growth, it is well covered by large, dark leaves. The flowers are exceptionally large and maroon in color.
‘Orange Drop’. A robust hybrid, definitely not for the postage stamp garden. The stems are sturdy and strongly upright, the leaves large and dark. Deep orange bells with red veining hang on long, slender stalks.
‘Pink Parasol’. It is unusually slow in growth and probably under 4' at maturity. It has dark, satiny leaves and widely spreading blossoms verging on mauve.
‘Pink Petticoats’. A bushy selection with relatively slender stems and small leaves. The flowers are abundant, bell-shaped and light pink in color.
‘Rosalie’. It is dense and nearly round in form, with large soft, furry leaves. The broad-petalled blossoms are colored a pleasing soft pink. This should become a very popular abutilon.
‘Satin Pink Belle’. One of our favorites, of upright growth, with dark stems, bright green leaves, and large bright pink blossoms.
‘Savitzii’. A relatively shy bloomer, this selection is valued mainly for its foliage. It is upright but dense and slow in growth. The leaves are brightly and irregularly variegated, the overall impression being of creamy yellow. The flowers, when produced, are orange.
‘Seashell’. Low growing and closely branched, with slender stems and rather small, dark leaves. The flowers are pendant, bell-shaped and pale pink in color.
‘Sunset’. A hybrid of A. megapotamicum, upright in growth, with smallish, dark green leaves and bright pendant bells of red and yellow.
x suntense. This is a hybrid remade many times between A. vitifolium, below, and A. ochsenii. It is upright but fairly compact, with large, pointed leaves. Both stems and leaves have a dense felt of pale hairs. The flowers are borne in large clusters at the shoot tips, those of our selection being about 3" across, wide-open, and nearly violet in color. Several degrees hardier than the preceding hybrids.
‘Tangelo’. A smallish plant with arching, slender stems, shiny leaves and pendant dark orange bells. It maintains a particularly bright, lush appearance.
‘Victor Reiter’. A sturdy, upright plant, with an ultimate height of 8' or more. It has large, broad, deep green leaves and perhaps the largest flowers I have seen on an abutilon. The impression is softened by their salmon-orange color. Hybridized by Bartley Schwarz.
vitifolium ‘Veronica Tennant’ is a robust shrub reaching 8' or more, densely hairy and pale grey green throughout. Its clusters of very large, pale lavender blossoms are borne at the shoot tips, mostly in summer. One of the hardiest of the group, enduring temperatures in the 'teens.
‘Voodoo’. A recent hybrid by Jon Dixon, with considerable promise. It is moderate in growth and bushy, with dark stems held nearly erect. Flowers are a little over 2” across and painted a vivid, deep red.
‘White Parasol’. A companion to ‘Pink Parasol’, above. It has short, sturdy stems, large fuzzy leaves, and large, white blossoms, sometimes basally tinged with pink.