Bulbs Flower Basics Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens Flower Garden Garden Furniture Garden Gnomes Garden Seeds Garden Sheds Garden Statues Garden Tools & Supplies Gardening Basics Green & Organic Groundcovers & Vines Growing Annuals Growing Basil Growing Beans Growing Berries Growing Blueberries Growing Cactus Growing Corn Growing Cotton Growing Edibles Growing Flowers Growing Garlic Growing Grapes Growing Grass Growing Herbs Growing Jasmine Growing Mint Growing Mushrooms Orchids Growing Peanuts Growing Perennials Growing Plants Growing Rosemary Growing Roses Growing Strawberries Growing Sunflowers Growing Thyme Growing Tomatoes Growing Tulips Growing Vegetables Herb Basics Herb Garden Indoor Growing Landscaping Basics Landscaping Patios Landscaping Plants Landscaping Shrubs Landscaping Trees Landscaping Walks & Pathways Lawn Basics Lawn Maintenance Lawn Mowers Lawn Ornaments Lawn Planting Lawn Tools Outdoor Growing Overall Landscape Planning Pests, Weeds & Problems Plant Basics Rock Garden Rose Garden Shrubs Soil Specialty Gardens Trees Vegetable Garden Yard Maintenance

Parts of a Cotton Plant

How to Start Lemon Seeds Indoors - watch on youtube
Parts of a Cotton Plant

Parts of a Cotton Plant. Cotton has been used for countless years for a variety of purposes, but certainly one of the best known uses is as a raw material for clothing. The relatively small cotton plant consists of several identifiable parts inherent not only in the cotton species but plants in general.

Cotton has been used for countless years for a variety of purposes, but certainly one of the best known uses is as a raw material for clothing. The relatively small cotton plant consists of several identifiable parts inherent not only in the cotton species but plants in general.
Stem/Roots
The cotton plant's stem is the "tree" that helps the plant grow. The stem, also called a cane, usually grows in a bunch to around 3 feet in height. It is largely responsible for transporting nutrients from the soil to the branches where the actual cotton production takes place in bolls. The cotton plant's root system runs fairly deep for a plant of its size. The fibrous roots splay out in a semi-wide pattern.
Leaves
The plant produces a few leaves per branch that are interspersed between its cotton bolls. The leaves have three to seven lobes, giving them the appearance of small oak tree leaves. They are nearly double the size of the actual adult cotton bolls and may shade the bolls from the sun.
Bolls
The tiny buds of growing bolls are called "squares" and there are generally three to five squares per branch of each plant. Each plant has different amounts of branches so each plant yields a different number of squares. A mature square becomes the puffy, white tuft or boll that is readily visible when picking time nears. Cotton plants planted in the spring will start sprouting bolls in early to mid-fall. Each boll is estimated to house around 300 cotton seeds and around 500,000 fibers.
Flowers
Depending on the species, cotton plants can also produce notable flowers. The flowers are white in infancy, then turn pink and finally red before falling off. The flower petals help cover the growing square of the plant. The fallen leaves will expose a green pod that the boll will eventually grow out of.

Check out these related posts