Upland Cotton (var. hirsutum) Gossypium hirsutum var. hirsutum variety
Upland Cotton (var. hirsutum) is an annual tree native to the lower 48 states and Puerto Rico. A host for pollen-specialist native bees.
More about this plant
Gossypium hirsutum, also known as upland cotton or Mexican cotton, is the most widely planted species of cotton in the world. Globally, about 90% of all cotton production is of cultivars derived from this species. In the United States, the world's largest exporter of cotton, it constitutes approximately 95% of all cotton production. It is native from Mexico to Ecuador and northeast Brazil, the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Wikipedia →
Growing & care
USDA PLANTS · TRY- Hardiness
- ≥ zone 7 derived from its U.S. range
- Lifespan
- Annual
Wildlife & pollinators
How pollinator value is scored →❧ Caterpillar hosts ~59 caterpillar species
Gossypium supports ~59 caterpillar species.
Native butterfly & moth caterpillars are the base of the terrestrial food web — most songbirds rear their young almost entirely on them. As a host for native Lepidoptera this is a strong genus.
Recorded feeding on Gossypium in North America, including:
✦ Bees specialist-bee host
Specialist native bees depend on it.
Some native bees are pollen specialists (oligolectic) — they raise young only on pollen from particular plant genera. Gossypium is a recorded specialist-bee host, so losing it can mean losing the bee that relies on it.
Related plants
More Gossypium →
Sources for this entry (12) Open & cited
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