Abutilon longicuspe Hochst. ex A. Rich.
A. cecilii N.E.Br., A. crassinervium Hochst. ex Mattei, A. smenospermum Pic. Serm.
Perennial shrub, tomentose, 1.5-5 m in height, woody at the base. Stems highly branched, tomentose, with long hairs. Leaf blade 18 × 12 cm, ovate-cordate, dentate margin (not deeply), cordate base, acuminate apex, dark green on the upper side, grey felted on the underside. Petiole 12 cm, densely villous. Stipules 6-8 mm, subulate, villous, caducous. Flowers terminal and in axils, panicles with almost no leaves; pedicel 0.5-2.5 cm. Calyx c. 1 cm, pentalobed; lobes triangular, acuminate, covered with a dense yellowish tomentum. Petals 1.5-1.8 cm, purple. Staminal tube c. 1.5 cm, exerted; staminal filaments pale purple; anthers and stigmas dark purple. Fruit c. 1.5 cm; mericarps 20-25, 1 seed in each.
Flowering:
In autumn-winter in the areas close to the coast of the Red Sea.
Fruiting:
Late autumn and winter.
Habitat:
Rocky slopes, thickets, secondary forests and margins of wooded areas, coffee plantations, on stony and rocky soils, in grazed areas. From 1,000-3,300 m in altitude.
Distribution:
SE of Egypt, Sudan, Yemen.
Conservation status:
Fairly rare species and with a small distribution area (with disjunct distribution, isolated populations in middle and high mountains). Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.