Abutilon incanum

Abutilon incanum, also known as hoary abutilon, pelotazo, pelotazo chico, tronadora, and maʻo (Hawaiʻi), is a shrub widespread throughout the arid, warm regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico as well as Hawaiʻi.^[4][5][6]

Abutilon incanum
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Secure  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Abutilon
Species:	A. incanum
Binomial name
Abutilon incanum (Link) Sweet
Synonyms[3]
List Abutilon incanum G.Don ex J.M.Coult. Abutilon incanum subsp. pringlei (Hochr.) Felger & C.H.Lowe Abutilon mochisense Hochr. Abutilon pringlei Hochr. Abutilon pringlei var. sinaloense Hochr. Sida incana Link

Pollen grain of Abutilon incanum

It grows to between 0.5–2 metres (1.6–6.6 ft) in height; the leaves are ovate to lance-ovate in shape, with crenate margins, and sizes ranging from 0.5–3 centimetres (0.20–1.18 in) in width and 1.5–6 centimetres (0.59–2.36 in) in length. The solitary 5-petaled flowers are generally orange; in ssp. incanum they are 6–10 millimetres (0.24–0.39 in) long and orange-yellow, while in ssp. pringlei they are just 4–6 millimetres (0.16–0.24 in) and a deep orange with maroon spots. The 5–8-millimetre (0.20–0.31 in) fruits are capsules with 4–6 cells.

It favors rocky slopes and gravelly flats, and occurs in arroyos, at elevations up to 1,370 metres (4,490 ft). Requiring warm-season rain and mild winters, it is found in the Sonoran Desert, but not the Mojave Desert. In Hawaiʻi, maʻo can be found growing in dry forests and low shrublands at elevations from sea level to 220 metres (720 ft).^[4]