Glowing foliage of Fouquieria splendens
This year’s springtime trip to the corridor from Tucson (Arizona) to California’s Anza-Borrego Desert State Park gave me an opportunity to reacquaint with Fouquieria splendens, or ocotillo. Although the plants had leafed-out, few if any were in flower so my traveling companions and I ended up chasing the wonderful wildflower display. Perhaps I took a few token photographs. When encountering it yet again in October, I couldn’t ignore this display in the foothills east of San Pablo Toliman, México,.
In my previous experiences, I don’t recall seeing the species either in such a density or inhabiting a slope. The combination of the two mixed in with mid-morning light to backlight the foliage, was a “stop the car!” moment–an unscheduled pause on our long travel day between San Miguel de Allende and Xilitla. Again, however, I missed out on the flowers. One tries not to think about the potential photographic opportunity that would have occurred a few weeks later, with the plants in bloom combined with the first light striking the plants in the morning. Here is a photograph of the inflorescence from a previous BPotD: Fouquieria splendens; these clusters of flowers would have topped the ends of the stems.
Other names for ocotillo include candlewood, slimwood, coachwhip, vine cactus, flaming sword and Jacob’s staff. Candlewood and slimwood are in reference to the slender, waxy stems. Repeating what I wrote in the earlier entries on ocotillo, this species is drought-deciduous. After seasonal rains have occurred, it leafs out and grows until water becomes scarce once again. It then drops its leaves until the next episode of water. This may happen several times in a year, correlated with an area’s rainfall patterns. During droughty periods, plants appear as a cluster of upright, prickly sticks, an effect you can see in some photos on the CalPhotos site: Fouquieria splendens.
I haven’t identified the plants growing among the ocotillo in today’s photograph. The larger cacti may be Myrtillocactus geometrizans, which I know occurs elsewhere in the region. However, most photos (and my few observations of it) suggest it should have shorter stem columns between branching nodes (i.e., an overall more compact appearance), so it may be something else.
Happy memories of a great drive to Xilitla and back.
So many interesting plant stops.
Reminded me of my early plant collecting forays with Dr Roy Taylor and Dr Gerald Straley
when I worked at UBC Botanical Garden.
You captured that light so well.
Another well written and post on BPOD, keep up the good work.
Thanks David, what a pleasure to go on that trip with you!
Ocotillo always look like snakes standing on their tails to me…and when flowering, with questing tongues!
Fabulous picture! Thank you for sharing your adventures with us!
I see them on slopes all over Anza-Borrego, but that *is* quite the high density!
And now for something completely (OK, only slightly) different…check out this mutant I found near Palm Canyon:
Neat!
Neon pipe cleaners! Very cool!
On a trip to Nogales, Arizona, near the border with Mexico many years ago, I was amused and amazed to see that many people were using ocotillo as fencing around their properties. At that time it was in flower. This was the first time I’d seen flowering fences.
When this plant drops its leaves, they simply turn yellow, and then fall. But sometimes, particularly if the weather is cool, they turn red. This event is pretty showy!
Very cool!
What a stunner the last photo is showing the red leaves. I have never seen it like this. Thanks for the photo.
It sure is a memorable species, and I’m glad you stopped the car – that light is amazing through the leaves! I’ve never seen such a dense thicket of Ocotillo. About half way through the post linked below are a few more Ocotillo views, from Organ Pipe NM in southern Arizona, in January.
https://bluebrightly.com/tag/desert/
Thank you again, Lynn. We should go photographing sometime!