Abutilon ‘Red Tiger’

flowering maple
Tropical lobed foliage on a loose open plant. Takes well to pruning, making the plant bushier. Pendant lantern shaped yellow flowers with prominent red veins.
Abutilon 'Red Tiger'
height 3–4ft
width 2–3ft
tolerates Cool Summers, Fog, Pots
water
needs		 Moderate – High
water
info		 Water your flowering maple regularly, when the top inch or so of soil feels dry. If you establish this pattern over several years, then you can cut back to watering every week or two in dry weather. Use drippers, emitters, or a slow stream of water so that it doesn’t run off; allow the water to trickle all the way down through the deepest layers of soil. In a pot slowly water the entire surface until water comes out of the bottom of your pot.

There are places in Sunset Zone 17 with consistent fog drip that this plant thrives and even naturalizes in shady areas under trees without additional irrigation. We have seen this in both San Francisco and Santa Cruz.
hardy
to		 15F
exposure Full Shade – Full Sun
indoor
outdoor		 Outdoor
drainage In Ground: Planting Mix, In Pots: Potting Soil, Tolerates Heavy Soil, Tolerates Sandy Soil
fertilizing Bloom
origin Hybrid, South America
california
native		 No
sunset
zones		 5, 6, 8, 9, 14–24

Sunset Zones Map

Outdoor Exposure Guide

OUTDOOR EXPOSURE GUIDE

Full Sun
Six or more hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.

Part Shade
Three to five hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.

Part Sun
One to two hours of sun beams directly landing on the plants leaves.

Full Shade
The plant is never fully lit by sun beams, but is in a bright spot or has dappled sunbeams playing over the leaves throughout the day.

Deep Shade
The plant never has dappled light on the leaves, and is in a place that feels dim, even on a nice sunny day.

SUNSET ZONES MAP

Growing Notes

Abutilon look best with a yearly hard pruning in late winter or early spring to keep the plant dense, otherwise they tend to get very lanky over time. They do well with some support, or nearby plantings that they can grow through to support them. Avoid windy spots.

Special Interest

Long consistent blooming period from spring through summer.

The common name flowering maple refers to this plant’s palmate leaves, which resemble maples. They are in fact not related to maples, so much as they are to other mallows such as hibiscus.