Velvet-Leaf

Abutilon theophrasti

Soft as a puppy's ear between the fingers, the large (up to 8 inches across), heart-shaped leaves of this plant have a wonderful velvety feel. They have pronounced palmate veins and relatively long stems.  From leaf axils emerge yellow flowers of five petals on a short stem. The flowers are replaced after blooming by distinctive seed cases in the form of a squat cylinder (see picture at left), green at first then quickly brown.

The leaves are striking when first opening; they seem to 'unroll' from the center out, at times looking like shower caps with an elastic margin. (See photo below left.)

This plant is an alien annual.

3-6 feet, sun - partial sun.

Summer-Autumn (July-October).

Large cordate leaves with palmate veins.  It is worth feeling their velvety surface.

23 July 2020.

Velvet-Leaf, 2 August 2020.

Young leaves "unrolling."

24 July 2020.