Cotton is a globally important natural fiber, though it is often mistakenly believed to grow on trees. It is cultivated from a plant, specifically a shrub, not a tree. While it yields a soft, fluffy fiber used extensively in textiles, its botanical nature and growth cycle differ from woody trees. Understanding its true identity as a plant clarifies where this versatile fiber originates.
Cotton’s Botanical Identity
Cotton belongs to the genus Gossypium, which is part of the mallow family, Malvaceae. This family also includes plants like hibiscus and okra. While some wild species of Gossypium can be small trees, the cotton cultivated for fiber is typically a shrub or herbaceous plant.
Unlike trees, cotton plants do not develop a large, woody trunk. Their stems are less rigid, and their overall size is much smaller, usually reaching heights of about 1.2 to 1.5 meters (4 to 5 feet) when commercially grown. Although cotton is naturally a perennial in tropical regions, it is predominantly cultivated as an annual crop in commercial agriculture. This annual cultivation helps manage pests and optimizes fiber production. The cotton fiber itself is not derived from the plant’s wood or bark, but develops as epidermal outgrowths around the seeds within a protective casing called a boll.
The Cotton Plant’s Growth Cycle
The journey of cotton begins with planting seeds in warm soil, in spring, around April to June in the Northern Hemisphere. After germination, which occurs within 5 to 14 days, the plant establishes a seedling with initial leaves. The plant then enters a vegetative growth phase, developing a main stem and branches.
Approximately 35 to 47 days after planting, small flower buds, known as squares, begin to form. These squares develop into flowers, which bloom around 60 to 70 days after sowing. Cotton flowers are often creamy white or yellow when they first open, changing to pink or red within one to two days after pollination before wilting and falling off.
Once pollinated, the cotton boll, the plant’s fruit, starts to develop. The boll enlarges for about three weeks, as fibers around the seeds elongate. Over the next few weeks, these fibers thicken and mature as cellulose is deposited. The boll matures and dries out around 150 to 200 days after planting, splitting open to reveal the fluffy white cotton fibers and seeds inside. Harvesting then occurs, often mechanically, to collect the mature fibers.