Imagine a plant that has attractive maple or heart shaped leaves, blooms virtually all the time (though less prolifically in the winter) and is relatively easy to grow indoors. Well, there is such a plant —the Abutilon. This Victorian favorite was often grown in the cool parlors of the day. Hence, one of its names, "parlor maple". Also known as the "flowering maple" or "'Chinese lantern", the abutilon is not a maple at all, but a hibiscus relative in the Malvaceae family. In spite of all its virtues, it has been eclipsed by its flashier cousin, the hibiscus, with its much larger and showier flowers. In terms of sheer blooming virtuosity, however, the abutilon leaves its lazier cousin in the dust.
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