Ocotillo

FOUQUIERIA SPENDENS Ocotillo

Family: Fouquieriaceae
Other common names: Coachwhip
Type: accent plant, succulent
Salvaged from locations: Hwy 90; Ft. Huachuca
Salvage method: bare root
Size: 15-20 ft H x 10-15 ft W
Water Usage: rainfall
Hardiness: 10 degrees F
Exposure: full sun
Flower color: red
Flower season: spring
Wildlife value: nectar, insects, hummingbirds, bees, orioles,

Did you know? Ocotillo is easily grown by seeds!

Ocotillo Fun Facts!

- during drought it sheds its leaves to conserve moisture
- after spring/summer rains it responds by leafing out, sometimes up to six or more times in a year
- clusters of tubular flowers are 1 inch long
- within 48 hours of a rain, will sprout leaves
- Stems covered with a thick water resistant cuticle
-most abundant on stony slopes above 3,300 ft on the upper edges of the deserts and adjacent hills.
- Boojum tree is in the Fouquieria genus - Boojum is named after The Hunting of the Snark, a story by Lewis Carroll.
- the ocotillo is one of the oddest and most conspicuous Arizona plants
- named after Pierra Fouquier, a French professor of medicine