Photo describing the types and varieties of abutilon
Abutilon lanterns hanging on thin long peduncles have attracted people's attention for a long time. The history of acquaintance with the culture of Europeans began in the 18th century, and this genus of evergreen shrubs, dwarf shrubs and herbaceous plants got its name from the Arabic name, according to legend, received from Avicenna.
Today botanists know about two hundred species of abutilone. Popularly referred to as the Chinese lantern, Indian mallow or homemade maple, abutilon is often considered a native of China or India. However, plants belonging to a large genus can be found not only here, but also in other tropical regions of the world, for example, in northern Africa, Oceania, Australia and even on the shores of America.
At home and as an ornamental garden plant, about a dozen species of brightly blooming culture are used. At the same time, the collections of flower growers are actively replenished due to unusual attractive varietal and hybrid plants. A photo of abutilon and a description of naturally occurring and cultivated species and varieties clearly reflect the colorfulness and diversity of plants. See tulip tree photos!
Abutilon Theophrasti (A. Theophrasti)
A small herbaceous crop with green, heart-shaped foliage and yellow flowers is still cultivated in China today as a valuable agricultural plant. To obtain fiber, the stems are collected, dried and processed by analogy with flax.
If only one abutilone is of economic importance, then there are much more decorative species that attract attention with the grace of foliage and flowers. Compact herbaceous and semi-shrub forms, including ampelous varieties of abutilon, as in the photo, are suitable for growing in pots or conservatories in greenhouses. Moreover, the main value of such abutilones is their flowers, large, often bell-shaped or wide open.
Abutilon Chitendeni (A. Chitendenii)
Like the previous species, this plant, called the Canary tree, has yellow, wide-open flowers. True, the size of the corollas, in this case, reaches 6-7 cm, and in shape they are similar to hibiscus flowers. The corolla unites five bright textured petals with a reddish or orange spot at the base. The foliage of the plant is round-heart-shaped, with a small pile on the back and a rough front surface.
The abutilone depicted in the photo in nature forms a beautiful tree up to 3 meters tall, in a pot culture it lends itself well to formation and is grown in volumetric flowerpots. The culture requires a lot of light and good drainage. On summer days, it is useful to take the plant out into the air, where the flowering of abutilon necessarily attracts the attention of honey insects.
Abutilon megapotamskiy (A. megapotamicum)
The plant with flowers of an unusual shape has earned the popular name "Chinese Lantern". Indeed, the enlarged carmine or red base of the rim is very reminiscent of a traditional bright rice paper lamp. The petals can be yellow, orange or purple.The flowering of Abutilon megapotamskiy is long, at home it can occur almost all year round.
Abutilone of this decorative type forms graceful shrubs or is grown as an ampelous crop that requires a solid foundation or support.
For home and garden floriculture, the variegated form of Abutilon megapotamskiy with elongated dark-colored shoots is interesting. Hanging yellow-red lanterns are located at the top of the stems. But the peculiarity of the form is not in them, but in the spotted yellow-green foliage of a pointed, almost lanceolate shape.
Abutilon of the megapotamian variety Orange Hot Lava has bright orange flowers with a voluminous, airy bracts of a purple hue. Petioles, peduncles and shoots are dark, almost purple. The foliage is jagged, green, with a pointed tip and darker veins. Flowers outwardly resemble a bell, which consists of two tiers. The upper petals have dark veins, while the lower ones are darker in color.
Abutilon sellowianum
Abutilon Sello or sellowianum is a fairly large shrub up to two meters tall, with erect shoots and light, and sometimes variegated foliage. The shape of the leaf plate is three-bladed, serrated. The flowers, in comparison with the megapotamian abutilon, are more like a cone or a traditional bell. The corolla is pinkish-orange. The diameter of the corolla is about 4 cm, while reddish-pink veins are clearly visible on the surface of the petals.
Abutilon spotted (A. striatum or pictum)
As you can see in the photo of the Marlon Fontoura spotted abutilone variety, the corollas in this case are bell-shaped. The calyx is small, close to the concave patterned petals. Wild forms have orange, salmon or pink-red flowers. The leaves are dark, evenly green.
However, today there are also spectacular varieties with five-toed marble-colored leaves. An example of this is the maple-like abutilone of the Thompsonii variety. Shoots, leaf stalks and buds of this plant are light. Corollas of flowers are orange-pink, and several shades of green are present on the leaf plates at once. Areas near the veins are darker, towards the edges the intensity of the tone decreases. In addition, in the photo of abutilon, yellowish or whitish spots with a chaotic arrangement are clearly visible.
The variety of abutilon spotted Nabob pleases the grower with flowers of a dense red shade, unusual for the species. The leaf plates are large, monochromatic. Plant height can range from 60 to 100 cm. Flowering is abundant and long.
There are not many varieties of abutilone that can bestow lush double flowers for a lover of indoor plants. Royal ilima reveals yellow-orange flowers up to 5-6 cm in diameter. The outer petals are longer. The center of the corolla consists of shortened twisted petals with noticeable scarlet veins.
Abutilon grape-leaved (A. vitifolium)
The hybrid variety Suntense, obtained from grape-leaved abutilon, has become a popular ornamental crop. Plants of this species are quite cold-resistant and represent shrubs up to 180 cm high. Flowering consists in the formation of a mass of large cup-shaped flowers of lilac, bluish, pink or white color. The plant is deciduous. Leaves are hard, pubescent, green or with a noticeable silvery tinge.
In pot culture, prefers sunny, quiet places, nutritious soil and moderate watering... To limit overgrowth, at home, abutilone is planted in small pots.
The photo of Abutilone variety White Charm fully gives an idea of the foliage of this species, which really resembles the leaves of cultivated grapes. The variety is interesting for its rare white corolla for Abutilon and its size. The diameter of the wide-open flower reaches 7-9 cm.
Abutilon Darwin (A. darwinii)
The species native to Brazil was first described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1871 and belongs to the oldest varieties of cultivated abutilone, forming a strong bush with a height of one and a half to two meters.
The plant has simple petiolate leaves that have a three- or five-toed shape, a dense leaf plate covered with hard hairs. Abutilone flowers, as in the photo, are single, large, painted in pink and orange tones. The species easily tolerates frosts down to –12 ° C, loves light soil and abundant lighting.
Abutilon hybrid (A. hybridum)
Most of the abutilones grown in gardens and on windowsills cannot be found in nature. These are numerous hybrids, often of unknown origin, which are today united under the name Abutilon hybridum. Due to the uncertainty of origin, such a formation is considered not a species, but an extensive varietal group.
Hybrid abutilones are compact, highly branching plants up to one and a half meters high. The leaves of this beautiful culture are heart-shaped or ovate, less often three- or five-toed, serrated along the edge. The leaf plates are covered on both sides with a short, hard pile, and their color can vary from light green or even yellowish to variegated.
Hybrid abutilone attracts attention with bell-shaped flowers, located in the axils, singly or in pairs. Corollas up to 5 cm in diameter are held on thin drooping peduncles. The petals are striking in a variety of shades from thick burgundy to white.
Among the abutilones of hybrid origin, there are both shrubs and semi-shrubs, which at home require mandatory pruning and shaping.
Florists have at their disposal a lot of interesting varieties and hybrids, including the most popular series of hybrid abutilones Bella Select Mix, which includes plants with flowers of pale pink, pink, coral, white and pale yellow color.
The photo shows Bella's abutilone in a bright coral color with a lighter center corolla and rich pink edges of the petals. The foliage of such a plant is even, green, three- or five-lobed.
No less interesting is abutilone Bella Yellow with dark shoots and yellow flowers that will definitely not go unnoticed.
Domestic breeders offer to lovers of indoor plants Abutilone Juliet up to 55-60 cm high and large simple flowers of different shades. The plant is unpretentious and easily tolerates all the features of home maintenance. Another variety has similar properties - abutilon Organza with flowers of white, golden, pink and rich carmine shades.
You can create a unique composition of plants with different flower colors if you purchase abutilon seeds in a mixture. In this case, plants of the same variety require a unified approach to maintenance and care, and a lush multi-colored hat of bell flowers will appear above the pot.
One of the most famous hybrid abutilones is the White King variety, which forms compact bushes no more than 40 cm tall. The foliage on such plants is velvety, dark green or gray-gray, the flowers are bell-shaped, completely white, with a yellow pistil and the same bright stamens.
Lovers of double flowers should pay attention to the Pink Swirls hybrid abutilone with soft pink corollas and light lobed foliage.
It is interesting that among the abutilones, there are decorative leafy varieties. The flowering of the abutilone variety Souvenir de Bonn shown in the photo, compared to previous plants, can be called ordinary, but its leaves will clearly attract attention. A half-shrub about half a meter high, densely covered with five-toed pointed leaves. The leaf plate is dark green, with carved veins and a bright white edging along the edge.