Gossypium thurberi 'Mt. Lemmon'

This is just one of the coolest plants that I've ever collected! Gossypium thurberi is an Arizona native perennial cotton plant...yes, one of the parents of the plants that give us those comfortable clothes. We found Gossypium thurberi growing with cactus and agaves just north of Tucson, Arizona. In the garden, it makes a 4' tall stalk, clothed with mallow-like leaves. In late summer and early fall, the stalks are topped with hundreds of small white flowers that change to pink on their second day open, followed by really small purple cotton bolls...don't get any ideas of making your own clothes. As fall approaches, the foliage turns a nice shade of red before dropping. The key to survivability in cold climates is to keep the soil very dry in the winter months.