Ocotillo is a catcus-like plant, although not a true cactus. For much of
the year, the plant appears to be an arrangement of large spiny dead
sticks. However, the stems are partly green. With rainfall the plant
quickly becomes lush with small, 2-4 cm, ovate leaves, which may remain
for weeks or even months. Individual stems may reach a diameter of 5 cm at
the base, and the plant may grow to a height of 10 m. The plant branches
very heavily at its base, but above that the branches are pole-like and
only infrequently divide further, and specimens in cultivation may not
exhibit any secondary branches. The leaf stalks harden into blunt spines,
and new leaves sprout from the base of the spine. The bright crimson
flowers appear especially after rainfall in spring, summer, and
occasionally fall. Flowers are clustered indeterminantly at the tips of
each mature stem. Individual flowers are mildly zygomorphic and are
pollinated by hummingbirds and native carpenter bees. Ocotillo is native
to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is a cultivated
garden plant in India.
Identification credit: Gurcharan Singh
Photographed in Cactus Garden, Panchkula, Haryana.
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The flower labeled Ocotillo is ...