Practical
Plants

Abutilon purpurascens

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Abutilon genus in the family Malvaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Malvaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Height
2.4 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Flowers - cooked. Used as a vegetable[1][5][2][4].

Plant part
Flowers

Environment

Range
S. America - Brazil.
Habitat
Not known
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow March in a warm greenhouse. The seed germinates in 3 - 4 weeks at 15°c[3]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of young shoots in spring. Very easy, they root quickly[1]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July in a frame[6]. Very easy, they root quickly[1]. Cuttings of mature wood, November in a cold frame.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires full sun or part day shade and a fertile well-drained soil[6]. Plants are not very hardy in Britain, they tolerate light frosts and so can be grown outdoors in the mildest areas of the country but are best if given a minimum temperature of 10°c over the winter[3]. It is probably best to grow them outdoors in a tub during the summer and overwinter them indoors from October to April or May[1]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

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