Ocotillo cactus

Name: Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens); USDA Zones: 8 - 11; Range: SW. United States. & N. Mexico; Height: 33ft

I love these spiny not-a-cactus, green and leafy (but only when it rains) not-a-tree, gorgeously flowering Sonora Desert plants. Their sprays of orange-to-scarlet (each 1/2-1" long) flowers can be 10-12 inches long. It's sort of like Christmas in the desert when they start blooming! Ocotillo are also known by names such as flaming sword, jacobs staff, and vine cactus. They are the northernmost species of a group of similar plants which grown in Mexico…

Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) is an unusual flowering plant found in the deserts of northern Mexico and the American Southwest. The erect, spiny stems grow to between 6 and 30 feet, and for most of the year the stems appear dead with a dull grayish-brown coloring.

It doesn't even know it's a shrub.

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Add Dramatic Flair With Ocotillo #ocotillo #desertlandscape #garden #plant #desertsouthwest #orangeflowers #azplantlady

This impressive succulent provides height, structure, and gorgeous spring flowers to Southwestern gardens. Learn mroe about ocotillo, here.

Fire in the sky Ocotillo in bloom Wickenburg, Arizona by Joy Soleida