cotton plant vs cotton

cotton plant and cotton both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
cotton plant	Yes	No	No	No
cotton	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, cotton plant and cotton are synonyms defined as:

cotton plant and cotton: erect bushy mallow plant or small tree bearing bolls containing seeds with many long hairy fibers

cotton plant (noun)	cotton (noun)
erect bushy mallow plant or small tree bearing bolls containing seeds with many long hairy fibers	fabric woven from cotton fibers
	thread made of cotton fibers
	erect bushy mallow plant or small tree bearing bolls containing seeds with many long hairy fibers
	soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state

cotton plant (verb)	cotton (verb)
	take a liking to