Ma'o facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ma'o
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Gossypium
Subgenus:	G. subg. Karpas
Species:	G. tomentosum
Binomial name
Gossypium tomentosum Nutt. ex Seem.
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Gossypium tomentosum, often called Ma'o or Hawaiian cotton, is a special type of cotton plant. It grows only in the Hawaiian Islands. This means it is endemic to Hawaii, found nowhere else in the world. You can find Ma'o in low shrublands, from sea level up to about 120 meters (390 feet) high.

This plant is a shrub that usually grows to be about 0.5 to 1.5 meters (1.5 to 5 feet) tall. It can spread out quite wide, reaching 1.5 to 3 meters (5 to 10 feet) across. The soft, fluffy parts of the plant, called seed hairs or lint, are short and reddish-brown. Because of their short length, they are not good for making thread or fabric.

Hawaiian Cotton's Family Tree

Scientists have studied the genes of Hawaiian cotton. They found that it is related to other cotton types from the Americas. Its closest relative is a plant called Gossypium hirsutum. This type of cotton is very common around the world.

How it Reached Hawaii

Experts believe that the ancestor of Hawaiian cotton traveled a long way to reach the islands. It might have come from the Americas. The seeds could have been carried by the wind across the ocean. Another idea is that birds ate the seeds and dropped them in Hawaii. It's also possible the seeds floated on ocean currents as part of natural debris.

A cotton boll from the Gossypium tomentosum plant.

See also

In Spanish: Gossypium tomentosum para niños