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Fouquieria splendens

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Photo from Highcountrygardens.com.

Author:  Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler, 1848
Family:  FOUQUIERIACEAE
Origin:  Texas, California, Nevada, Arizona; US, Northern Mexico
Soil:  All
Water:  Medium
Sun:  Maximum
Thickness:  6 Centimetres
Height:  6 Meters
Flower:  Red
Propagate:  Seeds/Cuttings
Names:  Ocotillo, Devil's Walking Stick, Candlewood, Coachwhip
Synonyms:  Fouquieria splendens subsp. breviflora Henrard
Fouquieria splendens
subsp. campanulata, Henrard.

This member of the Fouquieriaceae family was described by Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler in 1848, and it is found in the southern USA and northern Mexico. It can grow in almost any kind of soil with some water and lots of sun. The stems will only grow to six centimetres in diameter (not much of an caudex!) and six meters in height. The flowers are bright red, and the plant can be reproduced both by seeds and cuttings.

The genera name in honour of: P.E. Fouquier, Parisian medical professor. The species name  means 'shiny' or 'dazzling', referring to the flowers.


The flower from Highcountrygardens.com.