Ocotillo
(Fouquieria splendens)
IN THE JOSEPH WOOD KRUTCH DESERT GARDEN
Walk back to Map Chart
10 An unusual thorny desert shrub, but it is not a cactus! Leafs out within days following a summer rain and sheds the leaves often within weeks when drought returns. This may be repeated several times a summer, depending on frequency of rainstorms.



In
Depth 		Fouquieria splendens (Ocotillo)

Location: Joseph Wood Krutch Cactus Garden, south side of Old Main, elsewhere on campus, and out on yonder hills.

Family: Fouquieriaceae

Distribution: patchily common from Southern California to Texas, through Northern México; up to 1900 m (6200 ft) in elevation

Habitat: gravelly hillsides, especially limestone, some sandy plains

Habit: large shrub branching mostly at base

Flowering: spring

Natural history notes: Ocotillo, despite its spiny appearance, is not a cactus. With its long, ascending, spiny stems branching mostly at the base of the plant, the ocotillo, or coachwhip, is an unmistakable resident of the Sonoran Desert. Found throughout the southwest U. S. and northwest Mexico, it is common on gravelly hillsides and sandy plains. The plants are usually leafless; leaves are produced only when water is available to the stem. When water is no longer available, the leaves fall off. Leaves on new branches leave behind only a portion of the base of the leaf; these harden and become the prominent spines. Blooming in spring, the ocotillo produces splendid (hence the species name) stalks of many bright red tubular flowers that attract many local and migratory hummingbirds as well as other visitors. Distinguishing characteristics: Related species occur in different parts of the Sonoran Desert; our local ocotillo is the only one without a definite trunk. A related plant, the Cirrio or Boojum has a massively swollen trunk and therefore appears to resemble the ocotillo little; however, very young ocotillo plants have distinctly swollen bases, making the relationship more apparent. Ethnobotany: Ocotillo branches have long been used to make spiny fences, providing protective runs and corrals for livestock. Cut branches can actually root; the fence then becomes alive, sprouting leaves in response to rains. The stems have a wax coating that has been used as a dressing for leather, and a concoction made of the roots is said to be relief for fatigue and swelling.