Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor percentages of waxes, fats, pectins, and water. Under natural conditions, the cotton bolls will increase the dispersal of the seeds.
Manually decontaminating cotton before processing at an Indian spinning mill, in 2010.
Cotton ready for harvest in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Cotton plants as imagined and drawn by John Mandeville in the 14th century
The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary
Gossypium is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Gossypieae of the mallow family, Malvaceae, from which cotton is harvested. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Old and New Worlds. There are about 50 Gossypium species, making it the largest genus in the tribe Gossypieae, and new species continue to be discovered. The name of the genus is derived from the Arabic word goz, which refers to a soft substance.
Gossypium
Cotton field in Sukhumi Botanical Garden, photo circa 1912
Cotton field in Greece
A Gossypium hirsutum flower, lateral view, growing in Barcelona