States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Upland Cotton

Gossypium hirsutum

Found in Coastal Plain hammocks; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

70
Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
Up to about 6 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
July to September

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 12 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Coastal Plain hammocks

Dense, evergreen groves of live oak, magnolia and other hardwoods in the southern Coastal Plain, from dry oak domes to wet hydric hammocks and south Florida's tropical hammocks; salt-shaped maritime hammocks are maritime forests.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

75CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Gossypium

  • Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
  • Acronicta longaLong-Winged Dagger, Darkish Dagger
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Agrotis malefidaRascal Dart, Pale-Sided Cut-Worm, Shagreened Cut-Worm
  • Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
  • Alabama argillaceaCotton Moth, Cotton Leafworm Moth, Cotton-Worm Moth
  • Anatrachyntis badiaFlorida Pink Scavanger Caterpillar
  • Anatrachyntis rileyiPink Scavanger Caterpillar
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
Show all 75
  • Anomis erosaYellow Scallop Moth, Mallow Caterpillar
  • Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
  • Anomis impastaGrey-Eyed Scalloped Moth
  • Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
  • Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
  • Argyrogramma verrucaGolden Looper
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Calycopis cecropsRed-Banded Hairstreak, Cecrops Hairstreak
  • Cenopis directanaChokecherry Leafroller Moth
  • Chloridea subflexaSubflexus Straw, Groundcherry Sun Moth
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Dicymolomia julianalisJulia's Dicymolomia
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Elaphria agrotinaBicolored Midget
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Erinnyis elloEllo Sphinx
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Euxoa auxiliarisArmy Cut-Worm, Army Cutworm
  • Euzophera semifuneralisAmerican Plum Borer
  • Feltia repletaReplete Dart
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
  • Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Hypsoropha hormosSmall Necklace Moth
  • Marmara gulosaCitrus Peelminer
  • Moodna ostrinellaDarker Moodna
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera albulaWhite-Spotted Armyworm, Gray-Streaked Armyworm
  • Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Spodoptera pulchellaCaribbean Armyworm
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Stigmella gossypiiCotton Leafminer
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Tarache terminimaculataCurve-Lined Bird-Dropping Moth, Curve-Lined Acontia
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Achyra bifidalis
  • Anomis texana
  • Bucculatrix thurberiella
  • Helvibotys helvialis
  • Mimophobetron pyropsalis
  • Omiodes simialis
  • Phidotricha erigens
  • Rhodoneura terminalis
  • Stigmella inconspicuella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
6BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Gossypium

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Malvaceae
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
Yellow or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Florida rankS3
Global rankG4G5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources