Seeds from Gomphocarpus cancellatus, wild cotton, is a species endemic to southern Africa an elegant bush, which in the sterile state resembles a protea bush. The flowers are accumulated in dense spherical balls making it an attractive accent plant for any garden. A perrenial herb or shrublet 0. 5-1. 5 m tall. It produces a few branches at the base from an underground fibrous rootstock. The leaves are broadly egg-shaped, rounded at the base with a sharp point, arranged opposite, slightly fleshy or leathery and with a shiny surface. The branches, stems and leaves vary from glabrous to velvety-hairy. Up to 30 flowers are carried in dense, ball-shaped inflorescences. The flower petals are pale mauve, green or greyish on the outside and cream to white on the inside. The centre of the flower carries the five ivory-coloured, boat-shaped coronal lobes. Zones 8-11.