# Cotton (*Gossypium*)

Cotton is a soft, fluffy fiber that grows in bolls on cotton plants. It is used to make clothes, sheets, and other textiles. Cotton plants need lots of sunlight and warm temperatures to grow well.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Farms
- **Also known as:** Cotton Plant, Cotton Tree

![Cotton](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/1381779/medium.JPG)

Photo: Francisco Farriols Sarabia, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/1381779)

## Appearance

The Cotton plant has green, lobed leaves and creamy yellow flowers that fade to pink or red. Its most unique feature is the fluffy white 'boll' that bursts open when ripe, revealing soft fibers around its seeds.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Malvales
- **Family:** Malvaceae
- **Genus:** Gossypium

## Interesting facts

- Cotton fibers are so strong, they're used to make banknotes too!
- Cotton plants were first farmed over 7,000 years ago in Mexico!
- Each cotton fiber is actually a tiny hollow tube, like a miniature straw!
- The fluffy 'cotton ball' you see is called a boll, and it protects the seeds!

## Special abilities

- **Seed Spreader:** Cotton has lightweight, fluffy fibers that help its seeds catch the wind and float far away to find new places to grow.
- **Natural Protector:** The cotton boll acts like a tough, natural armor, keeping its precious seeds safe until they are ready to burst open.
- **Fiber Factory:** Cotton can grow incredibly strong and soft fibers right on its seeds, which protect them and aid in dispersal.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 90-180 cm
- **Spread:** 60-90 cm
- **Flower Size:** 5-7 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Self

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** Boll Weevil (*Anthonomus grandis*) — larvae feed on cotton bolls
- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen
- **Depends on:** [Human](https://www.snappit.app/explore/human) (*Homo sapiens*) — cultivates for fiber and oil

## Traits

- [Fiber](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fiber): This human use trait identifies species that yield natural fibers, used by humans for textiles, rope, paper, and other manufactured goods.
- [Agricultural](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/agricultural): This human use trait describes species cultivated or domesticated by humans for agricultural purposes, including crops and livestock.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Cotton plants are safe to touch, but be careful around machinery used in cotton farming.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Cotton?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Cotton?

90-180 cm

### How wide does Cotton spread?

60-90 cm

### How big are the flowers on Cotton?

5-7 cm

### When does Cotton bloom?

Summer

### Is Cotton edible?

Yes

### Is Cotton toxic?

None

### What is Cotton's lifecycle?

Annual

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

---

Source: [Cotton: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cotton)