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Aggie Cotton

Gossypium hirsutum (gu-SIP-ee-um her-SOO-tum)

Family: Malvaceae Non-native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Burgandy cotton is a short-lived evergreen perennial in zones 9 to 11 and is grown as an annual elsewhere. It is in the mallow family (Malvaceae). Grow in full sun for best burgundy color and well-drained soils. Propagate by scarifying seeds and soaking overnight for best germination. It will grow 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Burgandy cotton has unusual 3-lobed burgundy leaves. The flowers are showy pink from spring to fall. Small cotton bolls will form in the fall. Use as a container plant or in the pollinator garden border. The dark leaves add color to any garden and the long bloom season provides showy flowers that attract pollinators. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Watch for aphids, thirps, spiter mites, whiteflies and boll worms. Potential diseases are seedling disease complex, ascochyta blight, fusarium wilt, leaf spot and bacterial blight. More information on Gossypium hirsutum .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 49 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Cordate
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Burgandy to green with burgundy veining 3 lobed foliage
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Pink cup-shaped showy flowers with 5 petals. Flowers summer until fall.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Cream/Tan
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
Capsules split to reveal cotton bolls
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Tropical Americas
Attracts
Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule

Uses (ethnobotany)

Used to make fiber and cotton-seed oil

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#showy leaves #maroon leaves #purple leaves #pink flowers #full sun tolerant #annual #border #container #pollinator friendly #pollinator garden #tropical perennial
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Cotton Seedling Diseases; Bacterial Blight of Cotton; Cotton Jassid: New Pest of Cotton in North Carolina
Disease problems
Cotton Foliar Diseases: Areolate Mildew, Target Spot, and Other Leaf Spot Diseases

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.