Gossypium sturtianum

Location & distribution maps

Plant  information

Common name:         Sturt's Desert Rose

• Also, the Darling River rose, cotton rosebush and Australian cotton

Conservation status: Least concern

• It is not considered to be at risk in the wild

Etymology:   

Flowers:                  

• 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 to maroon

• The five petals are arranged in a whorl and have a dark red centre

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

• The leaves are different shades of green, round and strongly scented when crushed

• 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

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

• They have deep root systems, so are able to reach water deep under the ground

Habit:        

• A woody shrub, closely related to cultivated cotton

• The plant has a life span of about 10 years, growing from 1–2 m tall and 1–2 m wide

Habitat:   

• The Sturt's desert rose is found in sandy and gravelly soils, along dry creek beds, watercourses, gorges and rocky slopes

Distribution:                  

• Found in most mainland states of Australia and the Northern Territory

• Two varieties are often recognized:

  • G. sturtianum var. nandewarense (Derera) Fryxell is found only in north-eastern NSW (around Narrabri) and the Expedition Range in central Queensland

  • 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 of Gossypium robinsonii

Additional notes:     

• Sturt's desert rose contains gossypol, a chemical toxic to animals other than ruminants.

• The first European to see the flower was Charles Sturt in 1844–45, after whom it is named. In 1947;  James Hamlyn Willis gave the shrub its current botanical name

• It is the floral emblem of the Northern Territory and appears in stylised form on the official flag with seven rather than five petals.

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossypium_sturtianum (2023)