Green cotton

Green cotton (Gossypium anomalum) bears a beautiful pink to purple flower characterized by the dark centre and wide branch growth of the flower-head. The dark green leaves are often divided into 3 to 4 lobes. The capsule, which splits at the tip into 3 to 5 parts when mature, which exposes the seeds that are covered in cotton wool.

Green cotton are found mainly in north-western Namibia and Angola and the Himba tribe pound the root and use it to curdle milk. This plant grows in rocky habitats as well as the river banks of dry rivers. There are 3 species of cotton in Namibia.