| Common Name |
Ocotillo, Candlewood |
| Latin Name |
Fouquiera splendens |
| Native Habitat |
Rocky slopes below 5,000 feet in Mojave, Sonoran,
Chihuahuan, and Colorado Deserts |
| Soil |
Dry, decomposed granite, sand, limestone, low organic
content, well drained |
| Water |
None to once per month in summer |
| Height X Width |
Maximum 25 X 15 feet, 12 feet X 8 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
Spines |
| Leaves |
Green leaves for short time after rains, red-orange
flowers on fall, stem evergreen |
| Garden Suitability |
Hummingbird, Songbird, Sonoran |
| Ornamental Value |
Red to orange flowers after rain |
| Nature Value |
Flowers used by butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees,
nesting for songbirds, living fences |
| Native American Uses |
Lath for adobe, medicinal bark |
| Links |
|
| Article |
http://www.desertusa.com/nov96/du_ocotillo.html |
| Images and data |
http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/desertecology/ocotillo.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Fouquieriaceae/Fouquieria_splendens.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.succulent-plant.com/fouquieria.html |
| Images and data |
http://cals.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Fouquieria_splendens.html |
| Images and data |
http://medplant.nmsu.edu/ocotillo.html |
| Images, data, and
distribution |
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=FOSP2 |
