Flowering Maple
Flowering Maple, or Abutilon, a perennial flowering shrub of tropical America. Several varieties of a hybrid abutilon species are grown as ornamental plants. The most common hybrid, called Chinese lantern, grows 18 to 36 inches (45 to 90 cm) tall, and bears leaves with pointed lobes, similar to those of maples. In the joints between leaves and stem grow single, large, bell-shaped flowers that are white, yellow, or red. The plants can be left outdoors in frost-free regions only. Elsewhere, they are moved indoors before frost occurs. With proper care, they will bloom all winter. Trailing abutilon is a shrub that grows two to six feet (60 to 180 cm) tall. It has arrow-shaped leaves and white, orange, or purplish-red flowers. It is native to southern Brazil.
Chinese lantern is Abutilon hybridum; trailing abutilon, A. megapotamicum. Both belong to the mallow family, Malvaceae.