Cotton

Cotton plant.

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case. Under natural conditions, the cotton bolls will increase the dispersal of the seeds. The plant is a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, Africa, Egypt and India. The greatest diversity of wild cotton species is found in Mexico, followed by Australia and Africa. Cotton was independently domesticated in the Old and New Worlds.

The fiber is most often spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable, and durable textile. The use of cotton for fabric is known to date to prehistoric times. Although cultivated since antiquity, it was the invention of the cotton gin that lowered the cost of production that led to its widespread use, and it is the most widely used natural fiber cloth in clothing nowadays.

Uses

See also: Bow and arrow

Cotton strands can be used as bowstring material.

Dependencies

• Cotton strands
  • Bowstring
  • Twine

See also

• Hemp
• Grasses
• Leather
• Linen
• Nylon
• Rubber
• Silk
• Stick
• Thread
• Wool
• Textiles
• Raw material

References

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Cotton, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors).