Gossypium

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Gossypium (family Malvaceae) A genus of shrubs or small trees whose fruit is a brittle capsule. The seeds are hairy, providing cotton from several species (e.g. in America G. barbadense and G. hirsutum; and from Africa to India G. arboreum and G. herbaceum). There are 39 species, found in the tropics and subtropics.