Parish's Abutilon (Abutilon parishii)

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Malvaceae
State: AZ, SI
Nature Serve ID: 150802
Lifeform: Shrub, Forb/herb, Subshrub
Date Inducted in National Collection: 03/05/1993

Description:

Abutilon parishii has a woody base with herbaceous branches, the branches and petioles densely stellate-tomentose. Plants usually have long, sparsely leaved stems (Shreve and Wiggins 1994). The cordate leaves are extremely velvety and the reverse side is much paler than the green upper leaf surface. Light orange flowers give way to fruits that persist through the winter. Botanical Description: Plant: subshrub; ca. 1 m tall, the stems minutely glandular-pubescent and with more or less retrorse simple hairs Leaves: ovate (cordate), 3-6 cm long, coarsely dentate, softly matted-pubescent beneath, appressed-strigose above, discolorous, the lower leaves with petioles 2 or more times as long as the blades Flowers: axillary on short (up to 2 cm) pedicels; calyx 6-8 mm long; petals 10-12 mm long. Fruit: FRUITS schizocarp, exceeding the calyx, 8-10 mm diameter, stellate-pubescent; mericarps 6-8, apically apiculate Misc: In mountains; 900-1000 m (3000-3300 ft); Apr-Aug REFERENCES: Fryxell, Paul A. 1994. Malvaceae. J. Ariz. Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 27(2), 222-236. Supplemental information (courtesy of David Bertelsen): A. parishii can be found from 120-595 meters in Mexico and 795-1479 meters in the US. Based on measurements from 498 plants, leaf blade length ranged from 1.2 -15.2 cm (average=6.3 cm) and the blade width ranged from 0.9-13.5 cm (average=4.1 cm). Leaves are actually cordate rather than ovate with an acuminate tip that is a key characteristic for this species. Mericarps range from 5-10, with the average of 942 being 6.8; 72% had 6-7 mericarps. The 1-2 mm points on top of the mericarps are also a key characteristic Stem measurements: The longest stem measured was 189.2 cm, the average of live stems was 60.7 cm in Mexico and 30 cm in the US. Interestingly the average of dead stems was 58.8 cm in Mexico and 80.3 in the US. (D. Bertelsen, personal communication, January 5, 2012).

Where is Parish's Abutilon (Abutilon parishii) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Plants are usually found at cliff bases, rocky hillsides, lower slopes and ledges in canyons, usually among rocks and boulders (Rondeu 1991). Associated species include Simmondsia chinensis, Carnegiea gigantea, Ambrosia deltoidea, Abutilon incanum, Agave toumeyana v. toumeyana, Fouquieria splendens, and Abutilon palmeri (Rice 1994, Vandevender et al. 1994, Rondeu 1991).

Distribution:

A total of 270 plants were known in Arizona as of 1991 and, of these, 199 were located in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Surveys conducted from 1991-1994 located numerous new populations in several

States & Provinces:

Parish's Abutilon can be found in Arizona, Sonora

Which CPC Partners conserve Parish's Abutilon (Abutilon parishii)?

Desert Botanical Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

08/04/2020

Studies to determine whether plants are self-compatible have been conducted on plants at Desert Botanical Garden. Flowers open in the mid-afternoon, or not at all, but seeds form even if flowers do not open. The lobes of the stigma curve down and dangle among the stamens in both open and closed flowers. Exclosed flowers also produced seeds. Four germination tests were conducted during 1994 and 1995. Low germination percentages (10% and 30%) were reported for two accessions of seed that had been frozen for approximately one year. No seeds germinated during the remaining tests (fresh unfrozen seed and fresh seed produced in cultivation).

08/04/2020

As of 1999, Desert Botanical Garden has only 357 field collected seeds from two populations of A. parishii, and 5,939 seeds produced in cultivation. Desert Botanical Garden plans to collect from additional new populations to augment the genetic representation of the conservation seedbank of this species. In 2011, the DBG was tasked with the collection of seeds from new populations of A. parishii in cooperation with the BLM and CPC. A portion of these seeds will be stored and grown out at the Garden while the rest are stored at the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Ft. Collins, Co.

08/04/2020

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

A wide ranging species of desert slopes in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, found locally in low numbers with little threat (AGFD 2012). As of 2015. there are 40 site in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. Habitat degradation is the primary threat.