Meaning & use
cotton rose
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Meanings
nouncountable
A shrub with large flowers that open white or pale pink and turn darker pink or red as the day goes on.
Grammar: Countable: one cotton rose, two cotton roses.
Patterns
- a cotton rose
- cotton roses bloom
- plant cotton roses
The cotton rose in our garden starts out white in the morning and becomes pink by afternoon.
Cotton roses are popular in warm climates because they bloom for a long time.
I took a photo of a cotton rose because its color had changed so much since morning.
noununcountabletechnical
The dried, cotton-like material from a different plant, used in some traditional medicines.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the substance: a little cotton rose.
Patterns
- cotton rose is used for...
- a cotton rose remedy
In traditional Chinese medicine, cotton rose is sometimes used to treat coughs.
The herbalist recommended a tea made from cotton rose.
Cotton rose has been studied for its possible anti-inflammatory effects.
Word forms
| plural | cotton roses |
|---|
Common combinations
- cotton rose bush
- The cotton rose bush grew taller than the fence.
- cotton rose flower
- Each cotton rose flower lasts only a day or two.
- Confederate rose
- In the southern US, people often call it the Confederate rose.
- cotton rose change color
- You can watch the cotton rose change color from morning to evening.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Confederate rose
- The same plant, but this name is more common in the southern United States.
- hibiscus
- A broader plant family; cotton rose is a type of hibiscus, but not all hibiscuses are cotton roses.
Word family
Commonly confused: cotton rose or rose of Sharon? cotton rose or cotton?
cotton rose vs rose of Sharon
Another flowering shrub in the hibiscus family, but with different flowers and leaves. Cotton rose is a different species.
cotton rose vs cotton
Cotton is the fiber used to make cloth; cotton rose is a plant. Don't mix them up.
Practice
Which statement about the cotton rose is true?
Choose one answer.
The cotton rose is known for flowers that open pale and deepen in color. It is not a true rose, it prefers warm climates, and it is not a cotton plant.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cotton rose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.