COTTON-PLANT

COTTON-PLANT, COTTON-SHRUB, noun A plant or shrub of the genus Gossypium, of several species, all growing in warm climates. The principal species are, 1. The herbaceous cotton, with smooth leaves and yellow flowers, succeeded by roundish capsules, full of seeds and cotton; 2. The hairy American cotton, with hairy stalks and leaves, and yellow flowers succeeded by oval pods; 3. The Barbadoes shrubby cotton, has a shrubby stalk, yellow flowers and oval pods; 4. The arboreum or tree cotton, with a woody perennial stalk, bears yellow flowers and large pods. The first three species are annual plants; the last is perennial.