Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Sturt National Park, NSW

Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, ACT

Fruiting body, leaves, and flowers. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Sturt National Park, NSW

Shrub. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Sturt National Park, NSW

Common Name

Plain Lantern Flower, Plains Lantern-bush

Family

Malvaceae

Notes

Shrub to 1m tall.  Leaves alternating up the stems, flat, 1-3cm long, oval to round, hairy, toothed, rounded or notched at the tip.  Flowers cream to yellow, with 5 petals, borne singly on stalks originating at the base of the leaves.

Differs from Abutilon fraseri in that the fruiting body is about twice as long as the calyx, from Abutilon otocarpum in that the petals are about twice as long as the calyx, and from Abutilon theophrasti in that the tops of the fruitlets in the fruiting body  are rounded.

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 485

eFloraSA article with line drawings including fruiting body:  http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&name=Abutilon_halophilum