Sea Island Cotton, Egyptian cotton, Brazilian cotton
Gossypium barbadense

Family: Malvaceae

What it is like

A shrub which keeps growing from year to year. Often it is grown as an annual. It is 1-3 m high. The stems are purplish. The leaves have 3-5 lobes. The flowers are at the ends of branches. They are yellow but change to reddish purple. They are surrounded by a bract which has 3 toothed lobes. The seeds are small and oval. The seeds have large amounts of lint.

A tetraploid plant. There are 40 Gossypium species. They grow in the tropics and subtropics. It is a major cotton producing plant.

Where it is found

A tropical and subtropical plant. In China it is grown in frost free areas below 800 m altitude. It suits seasonally moist and dry climates. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Central America, Central Asia, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Gabon, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Indochina, Kiribati, Madagascar, Marquesas, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North America, Pacific, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Puerto Rico, Rotuma, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, South America, Suriname, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, USA, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia

How it is used for food

The oil from the seeds is used in salads, canned foods or manufactured into margarine. The seeds are ground into flour and used in bakery products. The leaves are eaten.

It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Seeds, leaves, oil

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Algodon, Fai-tet, Hai dao mian, Hasy, Kidney cotton, Nu-wah, Peruvain cotton, Pima cotton, Te baubau

Synonyms

Gossypium peruvianum Cav.; Gossypium vitifolium Lam.; Gossypium brasiliense Mac.; Gossypium microcarpum Tod.; Gossypium maritinum Tod.;