122 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 



in his ' ' History of the United States, ' ' says : ' ' The first cul- 

 ture of cotton in the United States deserves commemoration. 

 In this year (1621) the seeds were planted as an experiment 

 and their 'plentiful coming up' was at that early day a 

 subject of interest in America and England." The cotton 

 industry has now grown to such an extent in this country that 

 ilic United States is the barometer in the cotton world. 



The generic name given to the cotton plant by Linnaeus 

 is Gossypium, and it belongs to the Malvaceae, or mallow fam- 

 ily, which also includes such common plants as the hollyhock 

 and hibiscus. On account of their great variability and the 

 tendency to hybridize, the species of this genus are difficult 

 to classify. Many attempts have been made but no two au- 

 thorities agree. Those varieties of more or less economic 

 importance are the Oriental tree cotton (G. arboreum Linn.), 

 sea-island cotton {0. barbadensc Linn.), tropical tree cotton 

 of South America (G. brasiliense Macf.), upland cotton 

 (G. herbaceum Linn.), and Indian cotton (G. nefflectum 

 Todaro.) 



Oriental Tree Cotton. — The original habitat of this species 

 is doubtful. The plant is perennial, lasting from five to six 

 years and attaining a height of twenty feet. The flowers are 

 purple and have a large darker patch at the base. It is not 

 grown commercially at the present time and is said to be 

 found usually near temples where it blooms most of the 

 year. According to Indian tradition the fiber of this species 

 was used by the Egyptian priests to make their robes, and it 

 is probably on that account that it is sometimes known as 

 G. religiosum. 



Sea Island Cotton. — Sea island cotton is valued for the 

 length and quality of the fiber, but is not grown extensively. 

 The amount of lint from this cotton is less than that from any 

 other kind grown in this country, but its high market value 

 compensates for the small yield. Sea island cotton was probably 

 first grown in Georgia in the latter part of the eighteenth cen- 

 tury from seed obtained from the Bahamas. This cotton differs 

 materially from G. herbaceum, which furnishes the upland 

 cotton, in its seed characteristics. The seed of the sea island 

 cotton is small and black and the lint separates readily, while 

 that of the upland cotton is green and is surrounded by a 

 short dense fuzz beneath the longer and more valuable lint. 

 The flowers are creamy yellow with a purple spot at the 

 base of the petals. The lint is from iy 2 to 2y 2 inches in 



