Ocotillo
Fouquieria splendens
A fan of long, thorny, whip-like canes that leaf out within days of rain and tip themselves with flame-red flower clusters for hummingbirds. A living fence and a Sonoran signature. The nectar-rich flowers are eaten raw or steeped into a tart, cranberry-like drink.
- Family
- Fouquieriaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 10–10 ft
- Spacing
- 8–15 ft apart
- Light
- part shade
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- March, April, May, June, July
- Bloom colors
- red, orange
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, hummingbirds
- Landscape uses
- specimen, hedge or screen
- Native states
- AZ, CA, NM, NV, TX