Common names:
Palmer's Indian mallow, superstition mallow
Family:
Scientific name:
Abutilon palmeri
Main flower color:
Range:
Southeast California and south Arizona
Height:
Up to 6 feet
Habitat:
Hillsides, creosote scrubland; 2,000 to 2,500 feet
Leaves:
Alternate, round or heart-shaped, up to 2 inches across, slightly lobed, with toothed edges and a velvety texture
Season:
April to May
Abutilon palmeri is an uncommon species, restricted to hillsides in the Sonoran Desert and the Peninsular ranges further west. Plants grow quite large, to 6 feet or more, and bear many rounded leaves, silvery in appearance due to a dense covering of short, velvety, star-shaped hairs. Buds and stems are similarly hairy. Flowers have five orange petals which overlap to about half their width, and form a neat cup-shape, around one inch in diameter. At the center are a ring of stigmas and a group of red-topped stamens. Underneath are five pointed green sepals, visible from above only when the flower starts to wither. Fruits are spherical, divided into wedge-shaped chambers.
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