"Marilyn's Choice" abutilon

I recently bought a plant without knowing much about it because my wife and I liked it so much at the nursery. It is called "Marilyn's Choice" abutilon, but I can't seem to find out much about this particular variety. Does anyone know anything about it? The proper latin name? Zone hardiness?

Any information would be much appreciated!
Dennis

Dennis, I looked in plant files and nothing came up. I also looked in my flower book that has 1800 flowers and it wasn't there either! I can't imagine what it is. Can you post a picture? Maybe someone will see the pic and be able to help.

Post your question in the Beginner Plant Forum and see if someone there can help.

This message was edited Mar 12, 2009 7:39 PM

I found a picture on this page:

http://playinoutside.blogspot.com/

... and another one here:

http://gardenerofgoodandevil.blogspot.com/2009/01/january-bloom-day.html

That was about all I could find. I bought it at Barton Springs Nursery in Austin. Quite the elusive plant, isn't it?

Dennis

Found one more photo:

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/gardening/entries/bloom_day/

That is beautiful. I'm glad you found something out. I can't tell, is it a vine? You should post that on Plant Files, especially if you get more. info.

It is actually supposed to be a small tree. Very pretty, but it would be good to find out the exact zone hardiness information.

Hey, I know that plant. It is a beauty and it is certainly an Abutilon, but not Marilyn's Choice, I don't think. I believe it is properly called A. megapotamicum. I hope I spelled that properly :-). I've just got one for myself, and I got one for my mom a few years ago, and it is doing well in her condo, by a curtained south facing window. Though it is a bit prone to spider mite, like so many plants indoors, it is otherwise not terribly particular. Given half a chance it blooms prolifically, sometimes for months, then takes a break, then starts all over again. Mom's plant came on a small trellis originally, mine as a hanging basket, and it's nice either way. I've seen it described as a vine, but I don't think it's a true vine. It doesn't climb or curl or twist around anything, nor any of the things most vines do. What it does is send out long slender stems that will just hang there in the air, until they are a few feet long, when the weight of leaf, bud and bloom starts to pull them downward, which is why I think they are often grown on a trellis like vines are. I have found it very rewarding to grow. They don't need full sun, but do need bright light, and like many mallows, plenty of water, but don't leave them sitting in puddles. They do need feeding and my Mom fertilizes hers every time she waters with a quarter strength flowering formula until it goes out of bloom. Then she stops the fertilizer until it begins showing signs of budding again. Older growth gets woody and it will get a bit straggly looking if the light is too low but if so, it responds quite well to being pruned back a lot. Lots of fun, and everyone notices the flowers because they are so unusual looking and pretty. I'm in Mississauga, outside Toronto, Ontario, and Mom is in London, a couple hours southwest of me, so zone 5a, zone 5b, which means it can only grow outdoors in summer. It's in the same family as the tropical hibiscus, and based on observations, I'd say is likely about as hardy as tropical hibiscus. The leaves droop noticeably if it gets chilled much below, I'd say 50-55 F. It does flourish outside in summer on Mom's south facing deck once acclimated and adjusts pretty well to coming inside for the winter, and once it's adjusted it does bloom in the winter inside. Of several abutilons Mom has tried this is the only one that has been a reliable bloomer for her in any of our cold months, so it's nice to have around in our rather gloomy winters.

M. megapotamicum is the straight species, I suspect from the look of the flowers that 'Marilyn's Choice' is a hybrid cultivar with M. megapotamicum as at least one of the parents.

I should add that this abutilon, just like tropical hibiscus, can stand quite a bit more cold temperatures after a summer outside than it can when it first goes outside in the early summer. Our early summer's can be on the cool side, depends on the year, but we've found that both the hibiscus and the abutilon will harden a fair bit with exposure, so in the fall they won't necessarily have to come inside until the night temperatures are down in the low 40's F. Mom will go out and cover her more tender things with a blanket at night when it gets colder and that works pretty well, so she can put off bringing them in for a bit longer, but they do have to come before the first frost. Learned that the hard way with her first hibiscus bush :-).

These days so many things are hybrids, anything is possible.There is a difference in the flower shape, now I take a closer look at it. The species flower petal stick out to the sides looking rather like a stiffly flared skirt with a skinny waist, while in this one they are softer looking. The following URL will take you to a google page with loads of images of this plant, if you'd like to have a look at them.

Oops, the URL didn't come through. Are we not allowed to post URLS ?

Oops again, hit send too soon. Just google 'abutilon megapotamicum' and you'll see the images I mentioned and the link to see more of them.

you might try going to plantdelights.com they have several abutilons, you might find yours there...I just got two from them and they are lovely and quite healthy....