Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Upland Cotton - Gossypium hirsutum   L.
Members of Malvaceae:
Only member of Gossypium in NC.
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Section 6 » Order Malvales » Family Malvaceae
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AuthorL.
DistributionThere is only a single non-cultivated specimen at SERNEC: Scotland County, fallow area next to cornfield; D. Sharp in 1973. Specimens from Beaufort, Cleveland, Guilford, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Orange, and Tyrrell counties are all from cultivated plants.

Native to Central America and the West Indies; in N.A. escaped from VA and IL south to FL and TX; also NM.
AbundanceVery rare as an escape, despite being grown on thousands of acres in NC.
HabitatFallow area next to cornfield.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting July-October.
IdentificationAs a fruiting plant, cotton needs no introduction. The leaf blades are shallowly 3-5 lobed. The large flowers occur in axils, singly or a few together, creamy or yellowish, with or without a red spot center.
Taxonomic Comments
Other Common Name(s)
State RankSE
Global RankG4G5
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