Gossypium sturtianum Common name: Sturt’s Desert Rose	Indicates sun requirement      Full sun      Half sun      Semi-shade      Shade   Indicates water requirement          High water requirement.     Water every 1-2 days.          Medium water requirement.     Water every 3-7 days.          Low water requirement.     Water every 7-14 days.
Description Native to Australia (northern WA, southern part of the NT, western QLD, western NSW and north-eastern SA). Grows on rocky soil, on stony or rocky slopes, often along creek lines. Sturt's Desert Rose is an evergreen shrub about 1.8 m (6ft) in height in spread. It has oval, gray-green leaves, usually with black stipples, and beautiful large mauve flowers (5-10cm) with overlapping petals that are darker at the base. Flowering is not strictly seasonal but reaches a peak in late winter. The fruit, a capsule or “boll”, is about 1 cm long and contains many small seeds covered with short silky hairs. An attractive specimen plant.
Growing Needs well-drained soil, long, hot summers and a sheltered position in full sun. It is a drought-tolerant shrub, and can be cultivated successfully in areas of low to moderate rainfall but also adapts well enough to higher-rainfall areas. Sturt's Desert Rose tolerates light frosts and in cultivation it responds well to supplementary watering and moderate pruning. Propagation from seeds or cuttings.