Gossypium hirsutum
Photo by Shirley Denton. Photograph belongs to the photographer who allows use for FNPS purposes only. Please contact the photographer for all other uses.
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 11 9B
2002-2022, Copyright Florida Native Plant Society
Wild Cotton
Malvaceae
Plant Specifics
| Size: | 6-8 ft tall by 5-7 ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Short-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | White | |
| Fruit Color: | White | |
| Phenology: | Winter dormant | |
| Habitats: | Dry sites. Tropical hammock, coastal berm, shell mound. Disturbed area. |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Use as a short-lived "shrub". Dies back with freezing but will re-sprout from the roots. Use as a specimen plant. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| Moisture Tolerance: | Not wet but not extremely dry ----- to ----- Somewhat long very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray Tolerance: | Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil/Substrate: | Loam, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wildlife
Larval host plant for gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) butterflies.
Flowers attract bees, flies, thrips, grass hoppers, and beetles, and ants (Kale 2014).