Fouquieria splendens     
Ocotillo   
Fouquieriaceae Family     

Form: open, vase shaped clump
Seasonality: cold and drought deciduous
Size: 5-25ft, spread to 15ft; giant specimens to greater than 30ft are known; slow growth rate
Leaves: in axils of thorns; simple, in clusters, round, to 1in tall, bright green; plant is generally leafless for most of the year; in years with good rainfall leaves will persist, turning showy colors of yellow and red in the fall
Flowers: on branch terminals, spiky clumps of tubular orange or red flowers; clusters can be up to 1ft long; showy

Fouquieria splendens

Fruit: seed
Stems/Trunks: long slender stems rise from a common base; stems covered with 1in thorns which are gray or sometimes greenish
Range/Origin: SW US, Baja California, Sonora Mexico; elevations to 5000ft
Hardiness: to 10°F

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• accent plant
• silhouette
• cut stems are used for fencing
• attracts hummingbirds

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun, reflected heat
• Water: none; do not overwater
• Soil: tolerant, good drainage; good planted on hills to preclude overwatering
• Propagation: seed, very slow grower; most commonly available as bare root plant salvaged from nature
• Maintenance: minimal; shearing permanently destroys form of the plant

NOTES:

terminal bloom spike on Fouquiera splendens

an icon of the desert Southwest

Recommended transplanting procedure: Transplant in fall, not in heat of summer, preferably after leaves turn yellow. Dig hole 2ft by 2ft only. Fill hole with sand. Plant directly into sand. Stabilize plant with rocks around base until established.

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This page was first created August 29, 2001 and last modified May 15, 2004.

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