cotton

From Extension Collaborative Wiki

Cotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant (Gossypium spp.), a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India, and Africa. The fibre is most often spun into thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, which is the most widely used natural-fibre cloth in clothing today. The English name derives from the Arabic word al qutun, meaning "cotton fiber". (The Spanish word algodón has the same etymology.)