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Ocotillo flora , bearing the botanic name Fouquieria splendens ( foo - KWEER - ree - uh , SPLEN - denz ) , is a shrub species from the household of desert plants , hollo Fouquieriaceae .
The plant is native to the southwest United States , from westerly Texas to Southern California , in particular to the Chihuahuan desert and Sonoran desert , and northern Mexico , as far south as Guerrero and Hidalgo .
Photo Credit: Instagram @chaseabutterfly
While the plant is most commonly refer to as the ocotillo works , it is sometimes also touch to as ocotillo cactus .
However , it is not a truecactus plant .
Some other common names the plant is known with are :
Ocotillo Plant Care
Size & Growth
The most distinguishing characteristic of the plant life is the long , erect , pole - similar outgrowth .
The plant life branches very heavily at the basis , but does not parade subaltern branching – the longsighted reefer - like stems almost always stay unbranching .
The stems are very thin with a level best of 2 ” inch diameter at the root but can develop as long as up to 33 ’ feet in their rude habitat .
However , in culture , they most ordinarily mature to 6 ’ to 10 ’ foot .
The stems are partly green and address with plainspoken spines , which are in reality indurate sure-enough leaf stalks .
For most time of the year , the plant remains leafless , look like a crowd of tumid and setaceous stems .
But , it quickly becomes lush dark-green , filled with modest ovate leaves , after the rainfall .
The foliage rest on the works for several weeks , sometimes even month .
When growing an ocotillo industrial plant at home , choose a location where it gets sun to its south side as it has evolved to become more sunshine and heat insubordinate .
Flowering and Fragrance
The candlewood plant produces indeterminate clusters of bright crimson , pink , or red flowers on the tips of mature , whip - corresponding stem in spring and summertime .
Flowering is more abundant after rainfall and the plant may even produce the tubular flowers in surrender if it rain down in the season .
Due to the blossom color , the plant is sometimes referred to as ‘ small common mullein ’ or ‘ flaming steel ’ .
Light & Temperature
Jacob ’s faculty prefers full sun and is not extremely cold tolerant .
It can only tolerate temperature down to 10 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -12 ° C ) .
It is wintertime - Thomas Hardy to USDA hardiness zones 8 to 11 .
Watering and Feeding
The newly transplanted plants need to be water jolly until they are established .
The lacrimation essential of establish slimwood plant are very down .
They can even survive without water if they get an norm of 8 ” inches of yearly rainfall .
Just ensure they are embed in an unrestricted location ; where Earth’s surface water does not gather up or tolerate .
While this Fouquieria coinage is quite drought tolerant , utmost drought can make the industrial plant fall behind its leave .
The loss of parting is temporary though and they re - develop after springiness or summer rainwater .
Soil & Transplanting
Desert precious coral mature best in well - debilitate , gravelly or sandy loam soil mixed with little to moderate amount of constituent matter .
The plant transplantation anytime throughout the year .
But , you ask to be careful while found ocotillos as the transplantation of large bare - root plant is seldom successful .
Ideally , ocotillos should be institute at their original location from the beginning , just like cacti .
Grooming and Maintenance
As long as the Fouquieria plant is experience great deal of sunlight and heat , it continues to grow without any problems and does n’t even require any grooming and sustainment .
However , prune all in and broken stems to meliorate its appearing .
How to Propagate Ocotillo Plant
Fouquieria splendens works is propagate through softwood cuttings in the summertime .
Ocotillo Plant Pest or Diseases
The plant does n’t have any known disease problems .
Although pestis infestation are also not vulgar in ocotillo plants , it is urge to watch out for sucking louse and scales , which may practice the plant as their food source .
In face , they attack your ocotillo industrial plant , treat with insecticidal soap .
The native carpenter bee and hummingbirds dally the role of pollinators for this aboriginal plant of the US and Mexico .
Ocotillo Plant Uses
Fouquieria splendens is a in effect choice for rock-and-roll gardens , desert gardens , succulent gardens , and xeriscapes .
It will also grow in container gardens in warm climatic realm .
The colourful flower of the plant increase the aesthetic appeal as well as bestow architectural pursuit to menage gardens .
Due to their jackanapes and sturdiness , the stem turn of the ocotillo plant are often used as walking joystick and canes .
Ocotillo flowers , on the other hand , are used in both refreshful and dried mannequin for culinary purpose ; in salad and herbal teas .
In their native reach , the candlewood flora are sometimes used to make keep fences around gardens .
Different parts of the plant have also been used for sure medicative purpose in some area .
The ocotillo plant life also has three race including :
