Abroma

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Abroma
Abroma augustum Abroma wyniosla 2023-07-30 04.jpg
Abroma augustum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Tribe: Byttnerieae
Genus: Abroma
Jacq.
Species:
A. augustum
Binomial name
Abroma augustum
(L.) L.f.
Synonyms [1] [2]
  • AmbromaL.f., orth. var.
  • Abroma alatumBlanco
  • Abroma angulatumLam.
  • Abroma angulosumPoir.
  • Abroma communeBlanco
  • Abroma denticulatumMiq.
  • Abroma elongatumLam.
  • Abroma fastuosumJacq.
  • Abroma javanicumMiq.
  • Abroma molleDC.
  • Abroma obliquumC.Presl
  • Abroma sinuosumG.Nicholson
  • Abroma wheleriRetz.
  • Theobroma augustumL. (basionym)

Abroma is a genus of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae. It includes a single species, Abroma augustum, [1] sometimes written Abroma augusta, [3] and commonly known as devil's cotton. It is a shrub or tree native to tropical Asia, ranging from the Himalayas and southern China through Indochina and Malesia to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. [2]

Contents

Abroma augustum has dark red flowers with a characteristic and unusual appearance. The leaves and stems are covered with soft bristly hairs that are very irritating to the touch. The bark yields a jute-like fiber. It is used as a traditional medicinal plant. [4]

Taxonomy

The species was first described as Theobroma augustum (or Theobroma augusta) by Carl Linnaeus in 1768. [5]

The genus was described by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin in 1776 [6] with a single species Abroma fastuosum, which was illustrated and described. [7] However, because Jacquin was renaming Theobroma augusta L., according to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, he was required to use the name Abroma augustum, and A. fastuosum is an illegitimate name. [8] The correct name of the type species, A. augustum (L.) L. f., was made in 1782 by Carl Linnaeus the Younger. Ambroma is an orthographic variant. [2]

Cultivation

In the greenhouse, plants bloom from late spring to early summer. Dark maroon flowers are formed in terminal panicles. Individual flowers are up to 3 inches (7.5 cm) across.

Abroma augustum is propagated from seed. Seed germinate in 21–30 days at 72 °F (24 °C).

References

  1. 1 2 "Abroma Jacq". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Abroma augustum (L.) L.f." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  3. ↑ Sterculiaceae Abroma augustum (L.) L.f. , retrieved 2016-03-22
  4. ↑ M Iqbal Zuberi (2012). "Flora". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN   984-32-0576-6. OCLC   52727562. OL   30677644M . Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  5. ↑ Sterculiaceae Theobroma augustum L. , retrieved 2019-05-26
  6. ↑ "Abroma fastuosum", Hortus botanicus vindobonensis, vol. 3, 1776, pp. 3–4
  7. ↑ "Tab 1", Hortus botanicus vindobonensis, vol. 3, 1776
  8. ↑ Index Nominum Genericorum , retrieved 30 September 2016
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