158 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



COTTON.— GOSSYPIUM. 



Natural order, Malvacece, or Columniferce. 

 A genus of the Monadelphia Polyandria 

 class. 



We are not able to discover on what ac- 

 count the Greeks named this plant Hvhov and 

 Too-aiTiov, Xylum and Gossipium. Serapio calls 

 it Coto, from whence we seem to have derived 

 the English word Cotton. 



There are six distinct species of this plant 

 now discovered; the most common and im- 

 portant of which is the Xylon herbaceum, or 

 herby cotton. The vegetable floss is formed 

 in the interior of the blossom of the plant, 

 and surrounds and intermixes with the seeds, 

 when the petals decay. 



The cotton down, which is of a nature be- 

 tween wool, silk, and flax, now forms a 

 principal branch of a tree that is happily 

 cultivated in this country; and lest it should 

 be forgotten, that Commerce is not an indi- 

 genous plant of England, we will venture to 



