Flower profile
Hairy abutilon
Abutilon grandifolium
Hairy abutilon (Abutilon grandifolium) is a shrub in the Malvaceae family.
Hairy abutilon is a flowering plant.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Hawaii
Quick look
Abutilon grandifolium, the hairy Indian mallow, is a large shrub that is up to 3 m (9.8 ft) high with broad, 3–18 cm (1.2–7.1 in) leaf blades. Flowers are axillary, with a yellow corolla 2–3.5 cm (0.8–1.4 in) across, composed of petals 1–1.5 cm (0.4–0.6 in) long. The fruits are ovoid-globular schizocarps that are 1–1.5 cm (0.4–0.6 in) in diameter and composed of ten shortly beaked mericarps, containing 2-3 seeds each.
- It belongs to the Malvaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as not native to Hawaii. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 517 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #93 among the 118 flowers on our Hawaii list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
- Hawaii
- Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Hawaii. HAR 13-107
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records hairy abutilon in 1 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Hawaii.
Hawaii counties with USDA records: Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Maui.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Hawaii: Introduced; Pacific Basin (excluding Hawaii): Introduced.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 5 counties across 2 states; the most are in Hawaii (4), U.S. Minor Outlying Islands (1).
Other Abutilon on Bloomipedia (1): Velvetleaf.
More from the Malvaceae family (29 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Turk's cap, Common hibiscus, Swamp rose mallow, Dwarf mallow, Apricot globemallow, Checkerbloom, Scarlet globemallow, Bristly mallow.
More Hawaii flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ABGR3.
- iNaturalist, Abutilon grandifolium: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Abutilon grandifolium (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
- Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Abutilon grandifolium (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Jim Kingdon via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.