Fouquieria splendens – “Ocotillo”

Also Known As: Coachwhip, Candlewood, Slimwood, Desert Coral, Flaming Sword, Jacob’s Staff, Jacob Cactus, Vine Cactus
Family: Ocotillo (Fouquieriaceae)
Bloom Period: Mar-Jul, but highly variable depending on precipitation
Form: Tall, unbranched shrub
Habitat: Rocky slopes and gravelly plains
Leaves: Oblong; drought-deciduous
Translation: “Fouquieria” is named for Pierre Éloi Fouquier (1776-1850), a French physician and naturalist; “splendens” is Latin for “gleaming” or “vividly bright,” which describes the flowers.
Notes: “Ocotillo” is an Aztec word funneled through Spanish that means “little pine.” Bare of foliage most of the year, even appearing dead to the untrained eye. After rains the narrow branches are covered with small green leaves and tipped with striking red flowers. In a few weeks or months, the plant goes dormant again and lose all its leaves. Depending on the weather, this cycle can repeat more than once within a single year. The Ocotillo Family is one of the few families of flowering plants that grows exclusively in deserts. Despite its thorns, this family is more closely related to the families of Evening Primrose and Olive than to Cactus. The seeds have a protein content of 29%, so are very nutritious. When burned, the wood produces a very hot flame due to its high content of resin and wax. Dried branches have been used for walking canes. Photo shows a lovely specimen in front of the public library in Joshua Tree, California, where I spent many hours researching this book.
Native American Uses: Cahuilla ate the fresh flowers or made a beverage from them. They ground the seeds into flour and made porridge or cakes. The Tohono O’odham made a delicacy by pressing the nectar out of the flowers and letting it harden like rock candy. Yavapai children sucked the flowers for their nectar. Various tribes made medicinal preparations of different parts of the plant to treat coughing, congestion, urinary tract infections, swelling from injury, achy limbs, and varicose veins, among other conditions. The Cahuilla used Ocotillo to make “living fences” to protect their gardens from rabbits. Freshly cut branches were simply shoved into the ground and watered until they took root. The Tohono O’odham and used the branches for house-framing, including domes, and pierced ears with the thorns. The Seri also used the branches to build structures. The Pima removed the thorns and bound them together to make shelves and included plants in their gardens as decoration.
Animal Associations: Flowers are an important food source for migrating hummingbirds, including the Rufous Hummingbird, and also attract Carpenter Bees, House Finches, and other insects and birds. Host plant for Electra Buckmoth.