Plant Profile: Gossypium thurberi

Taxonomy: Gossypium thurberi

Names

Desert Cotton, Mt. Lemmon Cotton, Thurber's Cotton

  • Photo of Gossypium thurberi (Gossypium thurberis)

Phonetic Spelling:gos-SIP-ee-um THUR-ber-eye

Genus:Gossypium

Species:thurberi

Family:Malvaceae

Desert Cotton is a native wildflower belonging to the cotton family. It thrives in areas with partial to full sunlight and produces striking cream-colored flowers that typically blossom from late summer to early fall. Its leaves resemble those of other mallow species, featuring a soft, fuzzy texture. To ensure its survival into spring, the soil must stay dry during the winter months.

Gossypium thurberi Feature Summary

Gossypium thurberi Image Gallery

Tags

#white flowers
#soft leaves
#late summer flowers
#flowers early fall
#fall color red

Similar Plants

Gossypium thurberi Feature Summary

Attributes
Perennial
Fruit
Green when immature dry brown pods split in three to reveal purple cottonballs
Brown/Copper
Purple/Lavender
Flowers
Showy 5 petaled white flowers turn pink on their second day
4-5 petals/rays
Leaves
Simple, entire margins, 3-5 lobes. Red fall color.
Palmasect
Velvety
Whole Plant Traits
Perennial
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Occasionally Dry
Very Dry
3 feet-6 feet
12 inches-3 feet
Stem
Purple/Lavender
Green
Red/Burgundy

Gossypium thurberi Attributes

Gossypium thurberi: Country Or Region Of Origin

Arizona to Mexico

Gossypium thurberi: Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Gossypium thurberi Fruit

Gossypium thurberi: Fruit Description

Green when immature dry brown pods split in three to reveal purple cottonballs

Gossypium thurberi: Fruit Color

grass
Brown/Copper
grass
Purple/Lavender

Gossypium thurberi Flowers

Gossypium thurberi: Flower Description

Showy 5 petaled white flowers turn pink on their second day

Gossypium thurberi: Flower Color

filter_vintage
White

Gossypium thurberi: Flower Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Gossypium thurberi: Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Gossypium thurberi: Flower Petals

2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals

Gossypium thurberi Leaves

Gossypium thurberi: Leaf Description

Simple, entire margins, 3-5 lobes. Red fall color.

Gossypium thurberi: Leaf Color

spa
Green

Gossypium thurberi: Deciduous Leaf Fall Color

spa
Red/Burgundy

Gossypium thurberi: Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Gossypium thurberi: Leaf Arrangement

Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled

Gossypium thurberi: Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Gossypium thurberi: Leaf Margin

Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate

Gossypium thurberi: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Gossypium thurberi: Leaf Feel

Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy

Gossypium thurberi Whole Plant Traits

Gossypium thurberi: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Gossypium thurberi Cultural Conditions

Gossypium thurberi: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Gossypium thurberi: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Gossypium thurberi: Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Gossypium thurberi: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
10a
thermostat
10b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b
thermostat
9a
thermostat
9b

Gossypium thurberi Stem

Gossypium thurberi: Stem Color

grass
Green
grass
Purple/Lavender
grass
Red/Burgundy

Gossypium thurberi: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes