Gossypium is the
cotton genus. It belongs to the tribe
Gossypieae, in the
mallow family,
Malvaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions from both the
Old and
New World. The genus
Gossypium comprises around 50 species, making it the largest in species number in the tribe
Gossypioieae. New species continue to be discovered. The name of the genus is derived from the
Arabic word
goz, which refers to a soft substance.