Abutilon × hybridum is a species name used for a wide variety of different types flowering plants of uncertain origin in the genus Abutilon.[1][2][3] Because of the uncertainty surrounding the name, they are often considered a cultivar group: Abutilon x Hybridum Group or Abutilon Hybridum Group. They are cultigens, not occurring in the wild.[4][5] As with the larger genus Abutilon generally, they have been referred to by the common names Chinese lantern,[6][7] and parlour maple.

Abutilon × hybridum cultivar 'Patrick Synge' - flower
Abutilon × hybridum cultivar 'Patrick Synge'

Description edit

No reliable source has settled the question of parentage for these plants, and they have been variously said to perhaps derive from the species Abutilon theophrasti,[8] A. striatum,[4] A. darwinii,[9] A. pictum,[9] or any of the South American species.[10]

Descriptions vary widely; some sources have described them as short as "1 to 2 ½' tall", while others list them as reaching 15' in height.[8][11]

References edit

  1. ^ Spencer, Roger (1995). Horticultural Flora of South Eastern Australia Volume 2: Flowering Plants. UNSW Press. p. 373. ISBN 978-0-86840-303-8.
  2. ^ Cullen, James; Knees, Sabina G.; Cubey, H. Suzanne (2011). The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-Of-Doors and Under Glass. Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-521-76160-4.
  3. ^ Winterrowd, Wayne; Woodyard, Cynthia (2004). Annuals and tender plants for North American gardens. Random House. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-679-45736-7.
  4. ^ a b Sheat, Bill; Schofield, Gerald (1995). Complete Gardening in Southern Africa. Struik. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-86825-704-1.
  5. ^ Mabberley, D. J. (1997). The Plant-book: A Portable Dictionary of the Vascular Plants. Cambridge University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-521-41421-0. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  6. ^ Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z. (1976). Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-02-505470-7.
  7. ^ "Abutilon ×hybridum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  8. ^ a b Armitage, Allan M. (2004). Armitage's garden annuals: a color encyclopedia. Timber Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-88192-617-0.
  9. ^ a b Erhardt, Walter; Götz, Erich; Coombes, Allen J. (2009). The Timber Press dictionary of plant names. Timber Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-60469-115-3.
  10. ^ Burke, Don (2005). The Complete Burke's Backyard: The Ultimate Book of Fact Sheets. Murdoch Books. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-74045-739-2.
  11. ^ Tenenbaum, Frances (2003). Taylor's encyclopedia of garden plants. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-618-22644-3.