Fouquieria splendens

Ocotillo is a curious-looking and unique desert plant of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Common names include Ocotillo, Coachwhip, Jacob’s staff, and Vine Cactus, although it is not a true cactus. For much of the year, the plant appears to be an arrangement of large spiny dead sticks, although closer examination reveals that the stems are partly green. With rainfall the plant quickly becomes lush with small 2-4 centimeter ovate leaves, which may remain for weeks or even months. The stems may reach a diameter of 5 centimeters at the base, and the plant may grow to a height of 10 meters, but growth is very slow. Large specimens in the wild may be 200 years old. The plant branches very heavily at its base, but above that the branches are pole-like and only infrequently divide further, and specimens in cultivation may not exhibit any secondary branches. The plant produces two types of leaves. The first leaves on new growth produce a petiole (leaf stalk) which hardens into a sharp spine after the leaf drops off. Subsequent leaves sprout from the base of the spine. The bright red flowers appear in spring and summer, occurring as a group of small tube shapes at the tip of the stem. They are pollinated by hummingbirds or carpenter bees.