» For information on cotton production, industry, history, and applications, see cotton. Gossypium's a genus of 39-40 species of shrubs in the mallow family, Malvaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old World and the New World. The cotton plants, sources of commercial cotton fabric, are included in this genus. Cotton shrubs can grow up to high. The leaves are broad and lobed, with three to five (or rarely seven) lobes. The seeds are contained in a capsule called a… (More on Gossypium)