Abutilon pictum - Abutilon

Famille: Malvaceae, Genre: Abutilon
Arbuste à feuilles persistantes (5m de haut par 2m de large).

Habitat

Exposition
Plein soleil ou mi-ombre
Humidité
Humidité moyenne.
Sol
Tous sols.
pH
Sol acide ou calcaire
Rusticité
Zone 9
Habitat originel
Cultivated as an ornamental plant, it is not known in a truly wild situation.
Origine géographique
S. America - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Comestibilité

  • Fleurs - crues ou cuites .
  • A delicious sweet flavour [K].
  • The flowers produce nectar all the time they are open so, assuming the plant is grown indoors and is not visited by pollinating insects, the sweetness increases the longer the flower is open [K].

Culture

  • Requires a sunny position or part day shade in a fertile well-drained soil [200].
  • Dislikes drought [200].
  • This species is only hardy in the very mildest areas of Britain, being intolerant of temperatures that fall much below 0°c [260].
  • Plants are often deciduous in cold winters [219].
  • A deep mulch in winter and tying in growth to the wall will maximise protection in winter [200].
  • If the plant is cut back by cold weather, it can resprout from the base in the spring and can flower on the current year's growth [202].
  • A very ornamental plant, there are several named varieties [200].
  • Several of the cultivars have golden-variegated leaves caused by a virus infection, this infection can spread to other plants [260].
  • Tip-prune young plants to promote a bushy habit [200].
  • Older plants tend to get rather leggy, but can be cut back almost to the base in order to promote new growth .
  • This is best done in late winter as the plant starts to come into growth [260].
  • Les plantes de ce genre sont notamment résistantes aux armillaires (champignons) [200].

Propagation

  • Graines - semez au printemps sous serre [200].
  • Germination should take place within a few weeks .
  • Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots .
  • Grow them on for at least the first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts .
  • Cuttings of young shoots, June in a frame [200].
  • Grow on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant out in spring after the last expected frosts .
  • Boutures de bois mi-mûr, Juillet/Août sous chassis [200].
  • Grow on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant out in spring after the last expected frosts .

Calendrier

En fleur
4 - 9
En feuille
1 - 12

Pollinisation

Type de fleur
Hermaphrodite (les fleurs ont des organes mâles et femelles)
Auto-fertile
Oui

Divers

Pollution
Non
Autres réferences
[200]

Réferences

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[202] Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. 1990.
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.
[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls 1983.
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 1998.
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

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