About Abutilon parishii S.Watson
Abutilon parishii S.Watson is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, commonly known as Parish's Indian mallow and Pima Indian mallow. It is native to Arizona in the United States and Sonora in Mexico. This plant is a shrubby perennial herb that grows up to about one meter tall, with a recorded maximum height of 1.9 metres (6 ft 3 in). It can grow with a single stem or multiple stems, all covered in glandular hairs. Stems are mostly bare, with leaves growing only occasionally. The leaves are oval or heart-shaped with toothed edges, reaching up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long. They have a velvety texture, are dark green on the upper surface, and pale to almost white on the underside. Flowers grow from the leaf axils, and bear pale orange petals around one centimeter long. If flowers open at all, they only open for a few hours during late afternoon to evening. The fruit is a schizocarp that contains 6 to 8 mericarps. Fruits open to release seeds in June, and again after summer rains. Seeds do not germinate easily, and older seeds are more likely to germinate than newer seeds. In Arizona, this plant grows across several mountain ranges, including the Superstition, Tortolita, Santa Catalina, Tucson, Rincon, and Santa Rita Mountains. It grows in rocky habitats such as canyon slopes. Other plant species found in its native habitat include jojoba, saguaro, triangle bur ragweed, hoary abutilon, ocotillo, and Palmer's abutilon. In 2001, 84 populations of the plant were known across Arizona and Sonora, located in 17 mountain ranges. Most of these populations are very small, holding only a few individual plants. The species is currently in cultivation at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.
