1. Chinese shrub or small tree having white or pink flowers becoming deep red at night; widely cultivated; naturalized in southeastern United States
   "The cotton rose flowers changed colour as evening approached";
   - Confederate rose, Confederate rose mallow, Hibiscus mutabilis
    
2. Any plant of the genus Filago having capitate clusters of small woolly flower heads
   "cotton rose's cottony appearance made it stand out among the other wildflowers";
   - cudweed, filago

Derived forms: cotton roses

Type of: flower, hibiscus

Part of: genus Filago

Encyclopedia: Cotton rose