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ocotillo
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ocotillo hummingbird pollination Spines of the ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens). (Top) The leaves begin to transform into spines. (Bottom) The blades fall off and the hardened petioles become spines. Clusters of leaves also develop at the axil of each spine.
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Also called:
coachwhip, Jacob’s staff, or vine cactus
Related Topics:
Fouquieria
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ocotillo
ocotillo Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens).

ocotillo

plant
Also known as: Fouquieria splendens, Jacob’s staff, coachwhip, vine cactus(Show More)
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History
hummingbird pollination
hummingbird pollinationBright red tubular flowers of ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens).

ocotillo, (Fouquieria splendens), flowering spiny shrub (family Fouquieriaceae) characteristic of rocky deserts from western Texas to southern California and southward into Mexico. Near the plant’s base, the stem divides into several slender, erect, wide-spreading, intensely spiny branches, usually about 2.5 to 6 metres (8 to 20 feet) long. The branches bear small, rounded, drought-deciduous leaves, which fall soon after the end of the winter rainy season. They leave behind the petioles (leaf stalks), which harden and develop into stout spines, and most of the photosynthesis is carried out by the greenish stems. The bright scarlet flowers are in showy branched terminal clusters 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches) long. Ocotillo is grown as a hedge plant and occasional ornamental in its native range.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.