Abutilon grandifolium (Willd.) Sweet

Shrub

Abutilon species are herbs, undershrubs or shrubs. Erect or procument, Branches with simple prickly or stellate hairs. Leaves simple or sometimes lobed, alternate, usually base cordate, margins crenate-dentate, apex acute to acuminate, palminerved without nectaries, petiolate, stipules persistent or caducous. Inflorescence usually axillary or terminal, solitary or aggregated lax panicles or corymbose racemes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, jointed in the upper half, epicalyx absent, calyx 5 lobed, campanulate, base connate, valvate, corolla large, 5, yellow, white, orange, sometimes with dark colored in the centre. Stamens usually shorter than petals, base wide, filaments short, anthers basifixed, usually clustered. Ovary superior, 5-20 locular, ovules 2-9 per carpel, style branched 5-40, filiform to clavate, stigma capitate. Fruit schizocarp, ovoid-subglobular, campanulate, apex biaristate or acuminate, usually black when mature, with 5-40 mericarps, dehiscent, with a slender truncate columella scar when fallen. Seed many, reniform or subreniform, smooth, glabrous or shortly pubescent.

Abutilon species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: April—September.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

An undershrub or shrub, about 1-2.5 m tall. Stems and branches with densely hirsute with simple stellate hairs. Leaves simple, alternate, cordate to suborbicular, about 3-19 x 2-4 cm across, base cordate, margins somewhat irregularly coarsely serrate-dentate, apex acute to acuminate, densely scabrulous with simple hairs above and velutinous beneath, veins about 3-4 on either side of the midrib, petiole, densely hispid, about 3.5-10 cm long, stipules linear lanceolate, stellate pubescent, about 7-15 mm long. Inflorescence usually axillary or terminal, solitary, paired or 3 flowered. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, jointed in the upper half, densely hirstute, about 4-11 cm long, epicalyx absent, calyx 5 lobed, campanulate or cup shaped, base connate, valvate, divided from middle, lobes lanceolate, apex acuminate, densely pubescent with simple and stellate hairs both outside and inside, about 10-15 x 4-7 mm across, corolla large, 5, yellow, white, sometimes with dark colored in the centre, petals obovate, glabrous, about 10-15 x 7-10 mm across. Stamens usually shorter than petals, base wide, stellate hairy, anthers basifixed, usually clustered. Ovary superior, 5-20 locular, densely pubescent with stellate hairs, ovules 2-6 per carpel, stigma capitate. Fruit schizocarp, ovoid-subglobular, about 1 cm across, campanulate, apex biaristate or acuminate, usually black when mature, with 10-12 mericarps, oblong, margins dense with stellate hairs, apex bidentate, dehiscent, with a slender truncate columella scar when fallen. Seed many, reniform, about 2 mm across, smooth.

Abutilon species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Native to South America, cultivated in gardens.

Waste places,hedges and forest

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Cultivated as ornamental, Native to South America.