Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the mallow family Malvaceae.
The plant is a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, Africa, Egypt, and India. The greatest diversity of wild cotton species is found in Mexico, followed by Australia and Africa. Cotton was independently domesticated in the Old and New Worlds.
Types of cotton:
- Gossypium Hirsutum: is the definitive cotton, making up around 90% of the world’s cotton population.
- Gossypium Barbadense: more commonly known as extra-long-staple cotton, takes up only around 8%.
- Gossypium Arboreum: is tree cotton, native to India and Pakistan, that is responsible for less than 2% of total cotton production.
- Gossypium Herbaceum: comes from southern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula also takes up less than 2%.
