American cotton
Gossypium hirsutum

Family: Malvaceae

What it is like

An annual herb. It grows 0.6-1.5 cm high. The leaf blade has 3 lobes. The leaf blade is 5-12 cm across. The lobes are broad and oval. The lobes are less than half the leaf length. The flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves. The flowers are white or yellow becoming red or purple. They are 2.5-3 cm across. The fruit is a capsule 3.5-5 cm across. It has 3-4 cells. The seeds are oval and white and woolly. The seeds are covered with very long seed hairs called cotton.

A tetraploid plant. There are 40 Gossypium species. They grow in the tropics and subtropics.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It is widely cultivated in China. It needs an average, well-drained soil. It needs full sun. It suits hardiness zones 9-12.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, American Samoa, Asia, Australia, Balkans, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Burkina Faso, Central America (country/location of origin), Central Asia, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hispaniola, India, Jamaica, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Peru, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, South America, Suriname, Tajikistan, USA, Venezuela, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Oil is extracted from the seeds and used in cooking and salads. It is also used to make margarine. The seeds are use as food after the toxic substance gossypol is removed. Some kinds can be eaten without treatment. Young fruit are eaten.

Edible parts

Seeds, oil

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Algodao, Algodon, American upland cotton, Bourbon cotton, Dlakavi bombaževec, Ligue, Lu di mian, Mudonje, Mushinda, Utshinda, Vavae

Synonyms

Gossypium hirsutum subsp. latifolium (Murray) Roberty; Gossypium hirsutum var. punctatum (Schumach. & Thonn.) Roberty; Gossypium jamaicense Macfad.; Gossypium lanceolatum Tod.; Gossypium mexicanum Tod.; Gossypium morrillii O. F. Cook & J. Hubb.; Gossypium punctatum Schumach. & Thonn.; Gossypium purpurascens Poir.; Gossypium religiosum L.; Gossypium schottii G. Watt; Gossypium taitense Parl.; Gossypium tridens O. F. Cook & J. Hubb.;