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Malvaceae
Abutilon parishii has a woody base with herbaceous branches, the branches and petioles densely stellate-tomentose. Plants usually have long, sparsely leaved stems, with leaves rarely longer than 10 cm. The cordate leaves are extremely velvety and the reverse side is much paler than the green upper leaf surface. Flowers are light orange, with 5 petals extending beyond sepals, and fruits are 7-8 mm high, 10-11 mm wide, persisting throughout the winter. Each of the 7-10 carpels has 3 seeds. Plants occur wth other Abutilon species (A. palmeri & A. wrightii). A. parishii can be distinguished from A. wrightii by the shorter calyx lobes that are less than half as long as the carpels in fruit. Characteristics which distinguish it from A. palmeri include the 10 mm corolla (15-25 mm in A. palmeri), a more paniculate inflorescence, and longer reflexed stem hairs. Kearney et al (1960:539) considered A. parishii synonomous with A. palmeri, but later recognized it as a separate taxon in the supplement to Kearney et al (1960:1060).
As of 1991, a total of 270 plants were located in Arizona; of these 199 were located in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Surveys conducted from 1991-1994 located numerous new populations in several mountain ranges in south-central Arizona and central Sonora, significantly expanding the known range. There is a great deal of unexplored potential habitat between known occurrences. Plants are usually found at cliff bases, rocky hillsides, lower slopes and ledges in canyons among rocks and boulders. Plants are often found near trails. Because of the steepness of locations, threats to populations in Arizona are not significant, but in Sonora, competition from the exotic buffelgrass introduced for grazing, and thornberry are threats. Potentially, mining could have an effect on the species in Arizona. Plants located next to trails are at risk of trampling by hikers. Parts of trails located in the Santa Catalina Mountains have been moved to eliminate this risk. Livestock grazing could affect populations indirectly through habitat degredation, but because of the steepness of sites where plants are located, trampling is not considered to be a major threat. A. parishii has no protection under the Endangered Species act as of 1996. It is listed as a Forest Service sensitive species and is salvage-restricted in Arizona.
Studies to determine whether plants are self-compatible have been conducted on plants at Desert Botanical Garden. Flowers open in the mid-afternoon, or not at all, but seeds form even if flowers do not open. The lobes of the stigma curve down and dangle among the stamens in both open and closed flowers. Exclosed flowers also produced seeds. Four germination tests were conducted during 1994 and 1995. Low germination percentages (10% and 30%) were reported for two accessions of seed that had been frozen for approximately one year. No seeds germinated during the remaining tests, one conducted on fresh unfrozen seed, and one on fresh seed produced in cultivation. Scarification will be attempted on seeds produced in cultivation. Further studies of after-ripening requirements is needed. As of 1999, Desert Botanical Garden has only 357 field collected seeds from two populations of A. parishii, and 5,939 seeds produced in cultivation. Desert Botanical Garden plans to collect from additional new populations to augment the genetic representation of the conservation seedbank of this species.
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