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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Gossypium herbaceum (Levant Cotton) |
Gossypium herbaceum (MALVACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Gossypium herbaceumL.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 693 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Malvaceae Juss. (The Mallow Family)
19 species from the Malvaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Levant Cotton, Hairless Cotton, Arabian Cotton |
Maltese name(s) : |
Qotton Malti |
Status for Malta : |
Casual or accidental alien. Species that was introduced in Malta rather recently and normally it is short-lived
or resticted to small populations for a short time, without becoming widespread or invasive. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Therophyte ( annual plants, herbaceous, die after fruiting/seeding stage ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
July – September |
Colour of Flowers: |
Yellow or Cream |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Gossypium: ()
herbaceum: herbaceous, not woody, herb-like. (Latin origin)
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Woody annual 1-1.5 m, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Leaves c. 11 x 14 cm, cordate, with 3-7 lobes; lobes c. 5 x 5 cm, ovate-orbicular, usually slightly constricted at the base. Epicalyx-segments 2-2.5 cm, broadly deltate-ovate to semicircular, usually at least as wide as long; margin with 6-8 triangular, acute to shortly acuminate teeth, usually less than 3 times as long as wide. Petals yellow, with purple claw. Filaments 1-2 mm, more or less equal. Capsule 2-3.5 cm, subglobose, shortly beaked. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Widely cultivated to produce cotton in the distant past. Now cultivated for ornament but sometimes found cultivated in fields and which give rise to escaped plants persisting for few years
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Distributional range |
Widely cultivated in S. Europe, especially the E. Mediterranean region, and locally naturalized on disturbed ground.
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Native region outside Europe |
(Probably originated in W. Pakistan; cultivated now from India and C. Asia to C. Africa.)
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Introduced in Albania, Crete, Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), Doubtful in ex-Jugoslavia, Romania, Sicily and/or Malta
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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[nAl Bl Ca(F G H) nCr Eg nGr -Hs aHs(S) nIt cLu Rm Si nSi(S)]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
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Online Purchase (Images)
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| Contribute Information or Report Errors |
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
