Hiya Skeleton Crew,

Happy Tuesday!

Trivia 1

Let’s talk cotton today, why not?

Gossypium is the plant genus where we get cotton from, & the species barbadense is the version of Gossypium that makes particularly good stuff—extra-long-staple cotton they call it (though ya mighta heard it marketed as Egyptian cotton when it’s grown in Egypt (surprise!) or Sudan).

But can ya tell me what do they call this fancy Gossypium barbadense stuff when it’s grown in the U.S. Southwest, places like Arizona & California? The name basically traces back to how the Hohokam people had been growin cotton in North America for centuries; in the 20th century, their descendants helped the U.S. Agriculture Department develop a more commercially successful version of the stuff.

Trivia 2

Plants in the genus Gossypium are members of what taxonomic family (just the common name’s fine for your answer) that’s kinda an agricultural heavy-hitter, seein as how it’s also home to cacao, cola, okra, durian, & hibiscus? Another notable family member’s a species with the scientific name Althaea officinalis, a pretty li’l white flower that grows on riverbanks & in salt marshes.