upland cotton Malvaceae Gossypium hirsitum

Leaf:Alternate, nearly round with a cordate base; 3 to 5-lobed, with each lobe ending in an pointed tip; margins entire; green to blue-green above and below, usually pubescent, especially below and on the petiole.
Flower:Very attractive and poppy-like, 5 creamy-white to pink petals with purple spots near the anthers, approximately 4 inches across, appearing in July.
Fruit:A round to ovoid, 3 to 5-parted dry capsule (boll), 1 1/2 inch in diameter, splitting at maturity to reveal seeds encased in white fiber (cotton).
Twig:Pubescent and slender, green to red-brown; buds conical and pubescent.
Bark:Green to brown.
Form:A dense rounded woody shrub, to 6 feet, but commonly planted as an annual crop that is much shorter.

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