Wild cotton, Upland cotton
Gossypium hirsutum
Malvaceae


Landscape Uses:

It is currently ILLEGAL to grow wild cotton in Florida (see commments below).

Ecological Restoration Notes:

Availability:
Description:
Medium to large shrub with wide-spreading branches and a broadly rounded crown. Leaves lobed, 2-6 inches long.
Height:
About 6-12 feet in height. As broad as tall or broader.
Growth Rate:
Moderate.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north to Palm Beach and Pinellas counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. Perhaps never present or extirpated in Broward County.
Habitats:
Coastal hammocks and thickets.
Soils:
Moist, well-drained limestone or sandy soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance:
Moderate to high; plants growing in extremely dry soils may die during extended periods of drought.
Light Requirements:
Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color:
Creamy white to pale yellow, usually with a red spot at the base of the petals, turning dark pink with age.
Flower Characteristics:
Showy, about 1-2" wide.
Flowering Season:
All year.
Fruit:
Triangular capsule that opens exposing cotton seed covering.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Larval host plant for gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) butterflies.
Horticultural Notes:
Can be grown from seed.
Comments:
It is related to commercial cotton, and the USDA attempted to wipe this plant out in Florida in the early 1900s due to the fact that it is a potential host to the boll weevil. It is now illegal to grow wild cotton in Florida for this reason. It is also listed as endangered by the state of Florida.


Roger L. Hammer
Jennifer Possley, 2016
In habitat, Boca Grande Key, Monroe County, Florida Enlarge
James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida
James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida
James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida
Shirley Denton
Shirley Denton
Shirley Denton