Gossypium sturtianum, or Sturt's desert rose, is a woody shrub, closely related to cultivated cotton, found in most mainland states of Australia and the Northern Territory.

[2] The Sturt's desert rose is found in sandy and gravelly soils, along dry creek beds, watercourses, gorges and rocky slopes.

Adaptations for this plant include: Sturt's desert rose contains gossypol, a chemical toxic to animals other than ruminants.

In 1947, James Hamlyn Willis gave the shrub its current botanical name.

It is the floral emblem of the Northern Territory and appears in stylised form on the official flag with seven rather than five petals.