SafePlants

Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens)

The Ocotillo, scientifically known as Fouquieria splendens, is a distinctive desert shrub native to the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Fouquieria splendens
• Common Names: Ocotillo, Candlewood, Slimwood, Coachwhip, Vine Cactus, Flaming Sword, Jacob's Staff
• Family: Fouquieriaceae
• Group: Dicot
• Symbol: FOSP2

Distribution and Habitat

• The Ocotillo is indigenous to the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts.
• It can be found in the Southwestern United States, including southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas.
• Its distribution extends into northern Mexico, as far south as Hidalgo and Guerrero.
• It is described as a "bajada resident," indicating it thrives in alluvial slopes at the base of mountains.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• The Ocotillo is a large shrub with long, cane-like, unbranched stems.
• It is an unusual shrub with many slender, spiny branches that rise from a single stem at ground level.
• It has a distinctly different shape, deriving its shape from several green-leafed stems that emerge from a common base.
• Its general habit is that of many slender woody stems from a common base.
• It is an inverted, funnel-shaped desert plant.
• It produces a spectacle of bright pink flowers on whip-like canes.

Quirky Facts

• Despite being called "Vine Cactus" or mistaken for a cactus, the Ocotillo is not a true cactus.
• It can be relied on to bloom annually, even without leafing in particularly dry springs.