Gossypium sturtianum

Sturt's Desert Rose
Conservation status
	Rare (NCA)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Gossypium
Species:	G. sturtianum
Binomial name
	Gossypium sturtianum; J.H. Willis
Synonyms
	Cienfuegosia gossypioides (R.Br.) Hochr.; Gossypium australiense Tod.; Gossypium gossypioides (R.Br.) C.A.Gardner nom. illeg.; Gossypium nandewarense Derera; Gossypium sturtii F.Muell. nom. illeg.;

Gossypium sturtianum, or Sturt's desert rose, is a woody shrub, closely related to cultivated cotton, found in most mainland states of Australia and the Northern Territory. It is also known as the Darling River rose, cotton rosebush and Australian cotton.

The plant has a life span of about 10 years, growing from 1–2 m tall and 1–2 m wide. The flowers are up to 12 cm in diameter: they can be seen for most of the year but peak in late winter. The colour of the petals ranges from pale pink to dark purple to maroon. The five petals are arranged in a whorl and have a dark red centre. The leaves are different shades of green, round and strongly scented when crushed.

^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 17 January 2015.

[1] "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 17 January 2015.

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