Abutilon halophilum

Abutilon halophilum is a flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is a small understory shrub with yellow or cream-white flowers and hairy oval-shaped leaves and grows in New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Abutilon halophilum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Abutilon
Species:	A. halophilum
Binomial name
Abutilon halophilum F.Muell. ex Schltdl.[1]

Description

Abutilon halophilum is a small, understory shrub to 50 cm (20 in) high and covered with soft, star-shaped hairs. The leaves are oval-circular shaped, 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) long, apex rounded or notched and the margins widely toothed except near the base. The calyx about 7 mm (0.28 in) long, lobes broadly lance-shaped and the corolla 12–14 mm (0.47–0.55 in) long. Flowering occurs throughout the year and the fruit is 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) in diameter, 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long, spreading, blunt and the mericarp with about 10 segments.^[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Abutilon halophilum was first formally described by Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal from an unpublished description by Ferdinand von Mueller and the description was published in Linnaea: ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange, oder Beiträge zur Pflanzenkunde.^[4][5] The specific epithet is derived from the ancient Greek words hals, genitive halos (ἅλς, genitive ἁλός), meaning "salt" and philein (φιλεῖν), meaning "to love".^[6]

Distribution and habitat

This species grows on rocky desert soil and heavy clay, sometimes near floodplains and mostly amongst salt bush in New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory.^[2]