''Gossypium sturtianum'', or Sturt's desert rose, is a woody

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

, closely related to cultivated

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

, found in most mainland states of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

. It is also known as the Darling River rose, cotton rosebush and Australian cotton. The plant has a life span of about 10 years, growing from 1–2 m tall and 1–2 m wide. The flowers are up to 12 cm in diameter: they can be seen for most of the year but peak in late winter. The colour of the petals ranges from pale pink to dark

purple Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters, pu ...

maroon Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown". According to multiple dictionaries, there are var ...

. The five petals are arranged in a whorl and have a dark red centre. The leaves are different shades of green, round and strongly

scent An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sense ...

ed when crushed.

Taxonomy

Two

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

are often recognized. * ''G. sturtianum'' var. ''nandewarense'' (Derera) Fryxell is found only in north-eastern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

(around

Narrabri Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. At ...

) and the

Expedition Range Expedition Range is a mountain range within the Central Highlands sandstone region of Queensland, Australia. Robinson Creek cuts a 100 metres deep gorge through sandstone clifflines. Many spectacular side gorges add to the appeal of the area, ...

in central

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. * ''G. sturtianum'' var. ''sturtianum'' is more common and is found everywhere else. ''G. sturtianum'' var. ''trilobum'' (F.Muell.) J.H.Willis is sometimes considered a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

of '' Gossypium robinsonii''.

Ecology

The Sturt's desert rose is found in sandy and gravelly soils, along dry creek beds,

watercourse A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams are ...

s, gorges and rocky

slopes In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line is a number that describes both the ''direction'' and the ''steepness'' of the line. Slope is often denoted by the letter ''m''; there is no clear answer to the question why the letter ''m'' is use ...

. Adaptations for this plant include: * There are fewer stomata (the pores that release gas in the leaves), or they are protected. The stomata on the Sturt's desert rose are found on the underside of the leaf. This results in reduced water loss. * They have internal water storage. * They have deep root systems, so are able to reach water deep under the ground. Sturt's desert rose contains

gossypol Gossypol () is a natural phenol derived from the cotton plant (genus ''Gossypium''). Gossypol is a phenolic aldehyde that permeates cells and acts as an inhibitor for several dehydrogenase enzymes. It is a yellow pigment. The structure exhibits ...

, a chemical toxic to animals other than

ruminant Ruminants (suborder Ruminantia) are ungulate, hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by Enteric fermentation, fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally ...

s. The first European to see the flower was

Charles Sturt Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was a British officer and explorer of Australia, and part of the European exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from Sydney and la ...

in 1844–45, after whom it is named. In 1947,

James Hamlyn Willis James Hamlyn Willis (28 January 1910 – 10 November 1995) was an Australian botanist. He described 64 new species of plants, and published more than 880 works including the landmark two-volume ''A Handbook to plants in Victoria'' between 1962 ...

gave the shrub its current botanical name. It is not considered to be at risk in the wild. It is the

floral emblem In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to ...

of the

and appears in stylised form on the official flag with seven rather than five petals.Sturt's Desert Rose – Floral Emblem of the Northern Territory
/ref>

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q339803 sturtianum Malvales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of the Northern Territory Rosids of Western Australia Rare flora of Australia Charles Sturt