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Ocotillo

Fouquieria splendens

Description:

The Ocotillo can be relied on to bloom annually, even without leafing in particularly dry springs. It is an inverted, funnel-shaped desert plant with several woody, spiny, whip-like, straight branches angling outward from the base and rising as high as 20 feet. Ocotillo are leafless most of the year, except immediately after rain; the leaves then quickly wither after the soil dries out. These narrow, oval leaves are about 2 inches long, appearing in bunches above spines. Red flowers are 1/2 to 1 inch in length, with five short lobes curled back into 10-inch clusters. They appear at the ends of branches March through June or later, depending on rainfall.

Habitat:

Foothills of Santa Catalina Mts.

Notes:

Mature plants have as many as 75 slender branches (canes). Planted in rows, Ocotillo become living fences.

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joanbstanley
Spotted by
joanbstanley

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Spotted on Nov 3, 2013
Submitted on Nov 30, 2013

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