Abutilon permolle

Abutilon permolle
Abutilon permolle leafy stem with mature schizocarps
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Abutilon
Species:
A. permolle
Binomial name
Abutilon permolle
Synonyms
  • Sida permollis Willd.
  • Abutilon confertiflorum A.Rich.
  • Abutilon peraffine Shuttlew. ex Chapm.
  • Sida confertiflora (A.Rich.) D.Dietr.
Mature schizocarp with splitting mericarps
Velvety lower surface of leaf with branched hairs

Abutilon permolle, the coastal Indian mallow, also known as velvety abutilon and other names, is a species of shrub native to Central America, the Greater Antilles, and southern Florida in the USA. It belongs to the family Malvaceae.

Description

Abutilon permolle belongs to a large genus in a large family, so numerous species look somewhat similar. Besides its presence in a fairly limited geographical area mostly in the North American tropics, here are key features for recognizing the species:

Distribution

In the USA, Abutilon permolle occurs only in southern Florida. In southeastern Mexico it is found in the Yucatan Peninsula and the southernmost state of Chiapas. In Central America it is documented in Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. In the Caribbean area it is found in the Greater Antilles, the Turks and Caicos Islands and The Bahamas.

Habitat

In southern Florida, Abutilon permolle occurs in disturbed uplands and Rockland hammocks. In Cuba it is found in dry scrub mainly along the coasts, in spiny dry scrub on serpentine, and as a ruderal species at elevations near sea level. In Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula it appears in forests with deciduous and semi-deciduous leaves, including those with columnar cacti, also in scrub among coastal dunes and in disturbed, weedy areas such as roadsides, agriculatural fields, etc.

Ecology

Caterpillars of the mallow scrub-hairstreak, Strymon istapa, feed on Abutilon permolle.

Uses by humans

In traditional medicine

In Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Abutilon permolle is used by the Mayan people to treat oral candidiasis, or "thrush," among children; without preparation, the plant's leaves are spread directly atop the tongue.

As a source of fiber

In Guatemala's Petén Department the Mayan people have obtained a strong fiber from the stems Abutilon permolle.

Taxonomy

In 1809 when Carl Ludwig Willdenow formally described Abutilon permolle under the basionym Sida permollis, he did not know the native land of the species; his type specimen was a plant cultivated in the Berlin botanical garden, as indicated in his remarks.

Etymology

The genus name Abutilon is New Latin probably derived from the Arabic abu, meaning "father of," and Persian tula or tulha, meaning "mallow."

The species name permolle is based on the Latin permollis, meaning "very soft," certainly in reference to the leaves' velvety touch.

References

  1. 1 2 "Abutilon permolle (Willd.) Sweet". Plants of the World Online. United Kingdom: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Abutilon permolle (Willd.) Sweet". Flora de Cuba en línea (in Spanish). Botanischer Garten Berlin. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team (June 25, 2026). "Abutilon permolle (Willdenow) Sweet". Flora of the southeastern United States Web. Chapel Hill, NC, USA: University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden. Retrieved July 31, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Hassler, Michael (May 20, 2026). "Abutilon permolle (Willd.) Sweet". Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. Version 26.05. Germany: World Plants. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Taxón: Abutilon permolle (Willd.) Sweet". Flora de La Península de Yucatán (in Spanish). Mérida, Yucatán, México: Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  7. ↑ Ku Kinil, Ginni Noelia (2018). Etnobotánica médica de Uayma, Yucatán, México (in Spanish). Vol. Tesis que para obtener el título de: biólogo. México, D.F., México: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
  8. ↑ Standley, Paul C.; Steyermark, Julian A. (December 27, 1949). "VI". Flora of Guatemala. Vol. 24. Chicago, IL, USA: Chicago Natural History Museum. p. 332.
  9. ↑ Willdenow, Car. Lud. (1809). Enumeratio Horti Regii Botanici Berolinensis. Pars (PDF) (in Latin). Vol. II. Berlin: In Taberna Libraria Scholae Realis. p. 723.
  10. ↑ Fryxell, Paul A.; Hill, Steven R. "Abutilon Miller. In Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA)". St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA, USA: New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press via eFloras.org. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  11. ↑ "permollis". LSJ - Ancient Greek & Latin Dictionaries. January 30, 2026. Retrieved August 1, 2026.