Re: Abutilon vitifolium? No, Hibiscus

At 06:01 PM 11/15/98 GMT, you wrote:
>Today I was in Tavira, a town near the coast here in the Algarve in Southern
>Portugal, where I was stopped in my tracks by a magnificent plant that was
>growing in a traffic island bed. It had a single trunk, branching at about
>one meter and was three meters high and wide. The tips of the branches were
>covered with fully double flowers that were about 4 inches wide. What really
>got my attention was that the flowers opened almost white with just a hint
>of pink and gradually aged to pink then to red, all open at the same time,
>this gave it a stunning effect. The flower could easily be mistaken for a
>double rose! The broad palmate leaves are 6 inches long. The only plant that
>I can think of that fits this description is Abutilon vitifolium (although
>L.H. Bailey's Hortus Third calls it Corynabutilon vitifolium), but there is
>no mention of double flowers or of having red and white flowers at once.
>
>The RHS Plant Finder (95/96) lists album, Ice Blue, Tennant's White and
>Veronica Tennant. None of these from the description in catalogues seems to
>be my plant. Does anyone in the Medit-Plants group have any information on
>the plant or have I stumbled on a new local variety?
>
>
>Sunset Western Zones 19,21,22.
>----  Graham Payne  ----  dpsgkp@mail.telepac.pt  ----
>
>
>
Hi, Graham,

I grow this plant, and I got it with the name Hibiscus variabilis (other
sources say mutabilis). Actually, when I first saw it I made the same
mistake and thought it was an abutilon: the leaves are just the same.
However, it appears to have been introduced in Italy (I don't know about the
rest of Europe) in 1700 form the Tropics, but I don't know a lot about it,
excet that it is a really desirable plant.  I lurked around it for almost a
year until I found a not very nice man who gave me some cuttings, stating
that it was impossible I could make them grow. Can you imagine the tamed
grin with which I thanked the man? To tell the truth, it can be really
easily  propagated with cuttings (the man did not know what he was talking
about) as in my experience it does not sets seeds: I suppose it is a sterile
form.  The rooted cutting  QUICKLY   developes a considerable size- about 3m
high, and about as much wide, but I saw taller ones in this area. I don't
know why, it is quite common in a certain area of the Pontine plans (former
Pontine marshes) where I have my country house; I suppose that it was spread
by way of cuttings or offsets from an original introduction, as it is not
available in local nurseries. Anyhow, it is best grown as a multi stemmed
specimen, but it can also be trained as a tree. I have to say that the sight
of a flowering plant covered with three colored flowers (the white, pink and
red, as they age) is quite a wonderful thing. It requies moderate heat and
can stand some cold (loosing the leaves in winter, which is a pity because
it is still in bloom now). Note that I am in zone 9+ or 10-, if this tells
you something. Hib. variabilis also needs watering, in our climate. Mine is
planted in a bed near the edge of the porch, where it receives enough water
in the summer when I  wash the floor.

Make sure you don't risk your life in the traffic trying to reach that bed!
Alessandra
****************************************************

Alessandra Vinciguerra
American Academy in Rome
Via Masina,5
00153 Roma
Tel:0039\6\5846.444

puglisi@librs6k.vatlib.it

Check the Academy's Web site: http://www.aarome.org
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