Levant Cotton is a small perennial shrub or flowering plant belonging to the Malvaceae family and native to Africa and Asia. In its natural environment, it prefers a hot climate, where after ripening it forms cotton, which is harvested manually or by machine. Interestingly, Levant Cotton is also a valuable source of oil, as it is obtained from seeds that undergo special processing.
Gossypium herbaceum can be easily identified by its dark green sharp leaves with 3 to 5 lobes and long brown stems covered with numerous white hairs. The flowers are yellow at the beginning of July and become red-purple with brown spots closer to autumn. Later, spherical pods appear, which fully open after ripening. The seed is covered with short hairs and is found in white cotton. As for cotton, it consists of 97% cellulose, an insoluble organic compound.
