Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Eared Abutilon (Abutilon auritum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Eared Abutilon, Eared Indian Mallow.

More about eared abutilon

About Eared Abutilon

Abutilon auritum · also called Eared Abutilon, Eared Indian Mallow · tropical

Abutilon auritum is native to Malesia and the SW Pacific, thriving in wet tropical forests from Java through the Philippines to Queensland and New Caledonia. It is a soft-wooded shrub grown for its pendant, bell-shaped yellow flowers and velvety, maple-like foliage. The single most important care fact is that it needs consistent moisture combined with excellent drainage — waterlogged roots will rot quickly. Abutilon auritum is considered non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Cold limit: USDA 10–12 (indoor in most climates) · RHS H1b (15–30°C)

What eared abutilon's hardiness rating actually means

Eared Abutilon is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10–12 (indoor in most climates) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Eared Abutilon has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for eared abutilon as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can eared abutilon go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when eared abutilon can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Eared Abutilon hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is eared abutilon cold hardy?

Eared Abutilon is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Eared Abutilon can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10–12 (indoor in most climates)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature eared abutilon can survive?

What hardiness zone is eared abutilon?

Eared Abutilon is rated USDA 10–12 (indoor in most climates) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can eared abutilon survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to eared abutilon below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.