Desert cotton is a deciduous shrub in the cotton family native to desert areas of Arizona and Mexico and is found in rocky canyons and slopes in riparian areas, grasslands, and oak woodlands up to 6,000 feet in elevation. The plant can grow up to 10 feet in height with pale yellow flowers and attractive foliage that turns maroon in winter. The plant attracts pollinators and is a host plant for butterflies and moths. Desert cotton grows best in full sun but tolerates light shade and needs sandy well-drained soil. It flowers in the early summer and again in early fall. Small cotton bolls follow the flowers but produce too little cotton to be used commercially. The leaves are similar to other mallow plants with a soft downy texture. The soil must remain dry through the winter months to ensure survival through spring. This attractive plant can be used in an arid landscape as a large shrub or small tree and is available to purchase in Arizona. Pruning can be done in late spring for frost damage or any time to shape. In the 1930s it was thought that the plant hosted the boll weevil and attempts were made to eradicate it. However, it was learned that it does not and the plant has fortunately survived. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to the pink bollworm
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry | Very Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet; 3 feet-6 feet
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Palmasect
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Velvety
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Simple downy green leaves with entire margins and 3-5 deep lobes. Red fall color. Varies in size depending on water availability
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Showy 5 petaled 2-inch wide ivory flowers with pink at the base. Blooms in May and June, and again in September
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Purple/Lavender
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Green when immature dry brown pods split into threes to reveal a few cotton threads
Bark color
Light Gray
Bark detail
Smooth gray bark
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Green stems change to red
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Arizona to Mexico
Wildlife value
Host plant for the royal moth and Grey Hairstreak butterflies. Flowers visited by pollinators
Attracts
Butterflies; Moths; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area
Landscape theme
Drought Tolerant Garden
Garden tags
#white flowers #flowers late summer #fall color red #flowers early fall #velvety #small tree #shrub #butterfly friendly #desert plant #fiber plant #xeriscape