Who doesn't have at least one piece of clothing in their closet that's made of cotton? The plant that produces this raw material is so interesting that it can also be cultivated as an ornamental plant in this country, for example in the living room.
What are the main characteristics of the cotton plant?
Cotton belongs to the plant family Mallow and the genus Gossypium. It requires warmth and is mainly grown in the tropics and subtropics. The plant can grow up to 2 m high and bears yellow, red or white flowers. Their seeds are poisonous.
The facts in profile format
- Plant family: Mallow family
- Genus: Gossypium
- Origin: South Africa, India, South America
- Growth: upright, up to 2 m high, branched
- Leaves: alternate, tripartite, hairy
- Flowers: yellow, red or white, fivefold
- Use: textile industry, oil production, seed cake production, ornamental plant
- Propagation: self-sowing, sowing
- Location requirements: sunny to partially shaded, warm and humid
- Soil requirements: heavy, moist
- Special features: poisonous
An extremely heat-requiring plant
Although cotton is perennial and can grow into a tree or shrub, it is mostly cultivated as an annual. The culture of this plant requires a suitable climate. It should be warm. The average temperature should not fall below 15 °C. Therefore, cotton is mainly grown in the tropics and subtropics.
More illuminated from bottom to top
The cotton grows between 25 cm and 2 m tall - depending on the type, prevailing climate and culture. The growth is upright and branched.
The leaves are large, lobed, divided into three parts and have hairs up to 5 cm long. The five-fold, hermaphrodite and radially symmetrical flowers appear in summer. They are mostly yellow and rarely white or red in color. They closely resemble the flowers of the hibiscus.
The capsule fruits develop from the flowers. They have 3 to 5 compartments. The dark brown seeds are inside. When ripe, the capsule pops open. Then white cotton wool (the seeds with their attached hairs) oozes out of the inside. Each seed has between 2,000 and 7,000 seed hairs. The seeds are poisonous.
Tip
Cotton is not suitable for large-scale cultivation in this country. If you want to grow a plant for raw material production for the production of textiles, you are better off with fiber flax.
