Emma,

I googled a bit and am pretty convinced that the red cotton is referring to a variety called Red Foliated Cotton, but the color red refers to the stems and leaves, not the cotton fiber.

And I found that out only by looking at past SSE Yearbooks b/c web references just referred to red cotton with no explanation.

The current 2004 SSE Yearbook has the following cottons listed:

Arkansas Green Lint
Brown
Nankeen ( light brown)
Peruvian Brown
Sea Island
Texas Green Boll ( several shades of green)

The Red Foliated one is not listed in the 2004 Yearbook and no way of knowing what will be listed in the 2005 Yearbook. One can only request seeds from the current Yearbook, as regards other Cottons I saw in older Yearbooks.

If you're already an SSE member you might want to consider requesting some different varieties, but if you aren't an SSE member it seems like a lot of money to pay to become a member just to get some cotton seeds. Just my opinion. But strictly your choice.

Carolyn, who thinks that any references to a blue cotton also probably refer to foliage/stem color tint. Also, most mention that cotton is a 150-200 day crop and I forgot to look at your page to see where you live. If I did it now I'd lose this post and I don't want to redo it. LOL

Dear Carolyn,

Thank you for you detailed post. I too suspect that the red cotton doesn't refer to the cotton itself-but I am hoping.

" Also, most mention that cotton is a 150-200 day crop and I forgot to look
at your page to see where you live. -

I live in an area in Japan where I can grow cotton.

' If you're already an SSE member you might want to consider requesting some different varieties, but if you aren't an SSE member it seems like a lot of
money to pay to become a member just to get some cotton seeds. Just my
opinion. But strictly your choice.-

Thanks.

Thank you for listing the SSE cotton, there were some kinds that I have not heard of but want to try. I will post anymore sources/types I find. Emma

There is a red fiber cotton & bronze fiber cotton. There is also a blue fiber cotton. There is also a lavendar cotton, which is not a true cotton but some form of herb.

There is a red fiber cotton & bronze fiber cotton. There is also a blue fiber cotton. There is also a lavendar cotton, which is not a true cotton but some form of herb.

Baci,

Could you please list sources for these if they are natural fiber cottons?

As I said above, the only references I could find to a red cotton referred to plant coloration, not fiber color.

Bronze yes, as a shade of brown there are several varieties, but blue? As a natural fiber?

Carolyn

Carolyn,

I've read of a red colored cotton but have never been able to locate seed. The original source on that was an article in a magazine back in the 1940's (before my time, I just read the article many years later). I've also seen advertisements requesting red colored cotton a couple of times in magazines such as OG (back when it really was OG).

I grew Erlene's Green and the dark brown cotton this year as well as a standard long fiber white cotton. The problem with the colored cottons is that they are short fiber and don't expand out of the bolls very easily. I hope to grow crossed seed from the white cotton that will allow me to combine the long fiber with the colors.

Fusion

Fusion,

Unless someone here comes up with a source for red cotton that doesn't refer just to the plant coloration perhaps those interested should check out the USDA listings to see if they have a red cotton that can be requested. It just seems to me that someone would have already done that if it were such a novelty.

Since I'm in a zone 4/5 I have no intention of growing cotton, said Carolyn looking out at the frosted lawn this AM with a temp of 26 out there. LOL

And yes, in looking at the colored cottons listed at SSE I did notice that almost all were short fiber.

Ah yes, Organic Gardening when it was really OG, useful and non-political; I gave up on the current OG many years ago. Sigh.

Carolyn

I think that what is referred to as "red" cotton is mainly a bright variant of brown cotton. A google search showed a few entries but most were qualified by "dark" red or "rusty" red...
BTW, if you are in or near a cotton-growing country, I think that you are not allowed to grow coloured cotton as it could cross-pollinate with the white and introduce the short-fiber and colour genes.
Rose-Marie

Here is a link that might be useful: red cotton

A google search showed a few entries but most were qualified by "dark" red or "rusty" red...

That's what I found as well, in addition to the Red Foliated one. IN other words I found nothing that said the it was really an all red cotton. And even the ne you ling to is called Peruvian Brown.

And I'm a bit embarrassed since I forgot to look at Native Seeds/SEARCH, and I'm a member. LOL

Several of the ones I listed above from SSE listings also gave a range of colors.

Carolyn

There is a picture of the blue cotton here:

http://www.flonnet.com/fl2110/stories/20040521001408100.htm

I found a picture of the red but I am looking for a better one. The bronze cotton is simply a bronze color. I have some seeds somewhere  if I can find them I will post them.

There was a documentary on television that reported on growing blue & red cotton in CA. I have not found the source, however. It is probably in the research phases.

http://www.farminfo.org/othercrops/cotton.htm
has some information on obtaining seeds. Evidentially there are more colors such as green, etc.

Lavender cotton is also Santolina chamaecyparissus. I just mentioned it because it is not fiber cotton, but an herb.

I made a mistake on the blue cotton. The picture I posted was a blue seed; not a blue fiber. Emma, since you live in Japan, you may be able to import seed varieties we can not in the US. Other countries such as China, India, & Peru may have colored cotton seed varieties not available in the US.

Here is a pic of the red cotton. More info is available at: http://www.perunaturtex.com/scientif.htm

Fusion

{{gwi:878141}}

Here is an article on colored cotton:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/color090804.cfm

Another site is:
http://cicr.nic.in/
Go to the photo gallery, click on miscellaneous & there is a what looks like a blue cotton on the next page.

I'm not even interested in colored cotton, either as something to grow or to work with, but I think it's wonderful that so many of you have pitched in to arrive at some answers.

And I'm learning as well.

Carolyn

Here are two sources:
http://www.nativeseeds.org/v2/cat.php?catID=19
http://www.gardenmedicinals.com/pages/herb_seed_c-e.html

I have several of the colors, but man would I like to get some of the blue!!
I have a lavender cotton seed, but was really sceptical about it being truly a lavender cotton, and not the Santolina chamaecyparissus, which is CALLED lavender cotton.
My seeds look just like those blue ones, but a real pretty lavender color. I am nervous about planting them, though, as the date has 2001...bummer. I hope they germinate. I think I'll try them in the greenhouse this winter.
Looks like that's something I should have planted years ago!
-T

Grin here comes the spinner in me.

Yes most natural colored cottons are short stapled. They do come in a varity of different colors from oatmeal to cinnamon to greens and the new ones from Peru even include a lavender.
The site linked below has been working with colored cotton. They have some intersting information and may be able to help you.

And if you wish to see pictures of the new cotton roving from Peru go to http://store.carlsonwoollies.com/peruviancotton.html

dorothy

Here is a link that might be useful: FoxFibre

Neat dorothy! , but I wish they'd sell the seeds! lol...
Here is another link that sells clothing made from naturally pigmented cotton for children:
http://www.friendlycottons.com/

Yes a lot of spinners would like to grow their own and the seeds are hard to find. Another problem some run into is the fact that it is illegal in some areas to grow colored cotton or small cotton patches.

dorothy

How do you find out if it is illegal in your area to grow it?

Oldbiddy, the cotton board or cotton associations in your state would probably have the information regarding growing colored cotton. For example, in California the San Joaquin Valley Cotton Board has banned commercial growth of colored cotton due to fears of contamination the white.

I'm growing some brown cotton and would like to trade seeds for any other color.

I don't get to the Heirloom Plants and Garden Forum often. I wanted to share with you that I was instrumental in Ira Wallace acquiring some Red Foliated Cotton a year ago. She grew it out at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange this year and it is in their offering of seed. The "Story" of cotton is quite interesting.
Gary

Red Foliated Cotton
165 days [From SSE member Alice Gamewel via IA HO C 81] A beautiful plant with rich red stems, flowers, and leaves. Under 2' tall, it grows well in a container or adds interest to a flower bed. It is green when it first emerges but soon develops the red coloring . The cotton is a short staple white. #72205 Pkt. (16-20 seeds) Cannot ship to GA or CA
http://www.southernexposure.com/index.html

Other Cotton selections are ---
Nankeen Cotton, Earlene's Green Cotton, Arkansas Green Lint Cotton, and Mississippi Brown Cotton.

If anyone has any seed for color of cotton OTHER than brown and green, please let me know. I would like to purchase some from you. I have read of multiple colors including : red, blue, black, orange, pink, yellow, green, and brown. I have searched so much for the other colors but can not seem to find them. Please let me know if you have any info on the other colors. Thank you.

There is no substantiation for cotton colors being grown other than white, brown, reddish brown green and a lilac (currently grown in Peru but not offered for sale in any venue). Certainly none of these colors of either fiber or seed are being offered anywhere in the world (I´m an avid colored cotton spinner and I´ve been looking for 40 years). There is a folk tale about blue and red (not just reddish brown) cotton colors in the ancient Peruvian textiles. But recently these have been shown to be dyed colors obtained from cochineal and indigo. It is genetically possible to obtain a type of blue from green cotton but my own experiences have been rather disappointing and not reproducible year to year.

I have met someone in Peru who is willing to look for me but I need to pay for their time and effort. I read about different colors in a codex by the Spanish who came across the Mayans if I recall correctly growing different colors. I think I want to try and travel to South and Central America myself to look for these different colors. Please tell me more about the lilac color. I would be willing to share with you. I have also read of blue cotton growing in Arizona. I am CJ in the comment above yours, using a different account.

I think it´s best to go yourself to Peru to the Lambayeque region in the north. That is the region where algodon nativo is grown and used by artisans to make articles to sell. Morrope would be the best town to start with. Then to Tucume and other smaller towns. I was going to go there in May but the plague interrupted. Look on the internet for algodon nativo en Peru. You will find many articles and pictures of lilac and mauve (fifo), and marron (deep reddish brown) and pardo (orange brown) and also dark browns along with the greens and tans. I don´t have any of these myself besides a little bit of mauve and some of the reddish brown I bought in the US. You need to meet someone there who will make the introductions for you since this is a deeply indigenous region and they are very careful with their colored cottons. They mostly just want to grow for making artesania and but I was hoping to find someone who would sell me fiber. I really don´t know what you would find and it may take a long time to make the right connections, etc. I would love to know about the blue in Arizona. Can you give me a link for that? Gracias.

There are organizations in the area like Artesanos de Túcume. The Algodon Nativo site on Facebook is interesting. Sr. Jorge Montaño, (jluismon@gmail.com) in Lima could be helpful He deals in algodon nativo fiber. And Julian Bravo in Tucume seems to be very active with this.

If you are able to get any of the colored fiber outside of Peru, I hope you will share some with me. Gracias.

Spacer79, do you have a link for the codex? Is it one of the original 4 Maya codices that survived or a later one?

And regarding the person in Peru who could search for you, I would tell him to go to Morrope and Tucume to the artesan shops and talk with the artesans especially Julian Bravo to see if they could help with obtaining fiber or with meeting the algodon growers in the area. And I would have them contact Jorge Montano in Lima.

I don't remember the website wear I read about the codex. I read it once and haven't found it again. I read about the blue cotton here: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22BLUE+COTTON%22+DAILY+DUNKLIN+DEMOCRAT&rlz=1C1JZAP_enUS878US878&oq=%22BLUE+COTTON%22+DAILY+DUNKLIN+DEMOCRAT&aqs=chrome..69i57.8752j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 It's the top link but they want you to subscribe or sign in now. I didn't have to subscribe or sign in before so it must be something new but you can see on the header: "Blue cotton is grown somewhere in Arizona," said Potts.

I'm also looking for Blue, Red, Yellow cotton seeds.

Emma and others, red cotton and blue cotton as spoken of in colored cotton circles refers to the those colors in Peruvian native cotton (Gossypium barbadense) grown in the indigenous north of Peru. Blue cotton, though, is a misnomer as it refers to the blue colors found in ancient Peruvian weavings that made people once think that the ancients grew blue cotton. The blue fibers here are from indigo-dyed wool and cotton. Blue cotton does not exist. It is a myth. I have, however, grown green cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) in almost pure clay soils and received a few bolls of bluish cotton. Peruvian red cotton called "marron oscuro" is a reddish brown cotton. This is the most red that any cotton in the world produces. It is not sold outside of Peru and even then it is extremely difficult to obtain. I have tried for 30 years to do this to no avail. Getting seeds for marron oscuro is impossible since the authorities in that part of Peru jealously guard them.

I have seen references on the internet to yellow cotton grown in India and in Peru. You might try those avenues. However, there are no references to yellow cotton seeds at all anywhere.