Gossypium tomentosum
Species of flowering plant in the mallow family Malvaceae / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gossypium tomentosum, commonly known as maʻo, huluhulu or Hawaiian cotton, is a species of cotton plant that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It inhabits low shrublands at elevations from sea level to 120 m (390 ft).[2] Maʻo is a shrub that reaches a height of 1.5–5 ft (0.46–1.52 m) and a diameter of 5–10 ft (1.5–3.0 m).[3] The seed hairs (lint) are short and reddish brown, unsuitable for spinning or twisting into thread.
Gossypium tomentosum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malvales |
Family: | Malvaceae |
Genus: | Gossypium |
Subgenus: | G. subg. Karpas |
Species: | G. tomentosum |
Binomial name | |
Gossypium tomentosum | |
Genetic studies indicate that Hawaiian cotton is related to American species of Gossypium, with its closest relative Gossypium hirsutum.[4] Its ancestor may have come to the islands from the Americas as a seed on the wind or in the droppings of a bird, or as part of floating debris.[5]
Native Hawaiians use maʻo flowers to make a yellow dye.[6]