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  • About iDigBio and the AR Collection Card Project
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  • Macrofungi: The Daisy Earthstar
    • Take a Closer Look: Daisy Earthstars
  • The Consortia of North American Lichens and Bryophytes: Greygreen Reindeer Lichen
    • Take a Closer Look: Reindeer moss
  • New England Vascular Plants: The Cardinal Flower
  • Keys to the Cabinet: SE Plants: The White-topped Pitcher Plant
  • Invertnet Collection Network: The Thorn Bug
    • Take a Closer Look: Thorn Bug Treehopper
  • Paleoniches: Brachiopods
  • Ammonite
  • iDigBio: Channel Catfish
  • Great Lakes Invasive Network: Zebra mussel
  • Tri-Trophic Thematic Collection Network: Stink Bug Parasitoid
  • Macroalgal: Elk Kelp
  • Insect Fossils: Tsetse Fly
  • SCAN: Earth-boring Scarab Beetle
  • InvertEBase: Carolina Mantis
  • EPICC: Fossil Crab
  • Animal Communication: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  • Poweshiek Skipperling
  • RINGTAIL
  • Tarantula Hawk
    • Take a Closer Look: at the Tarantula Hawk
  • Sonoran Mantid
  • California Leaf-nosed Bat
    • Take a Closer Look: Bat Wings
  • Pipevine Swallowtail
    • Plants to attract Pipevine Swallowtails
  • Desert Hairy Scorpion
  • Gila Monster
  • Ocotillo
  • California Poppy
  • Anna's hummingbird
    • Plants to attract Hummingbirds
  • Monarch
    • Plants to attract Monarchs
  • Bumblebee
    • Plants to Attract Bumblebees
  • White-nosed coati
  • Asian Long-horned beetle
    • ALB Life Cycle
  • Learning Resources
    • Latitude and Longitude Game
  • Special Thanks
  • Give Us Your Feedback!
  • Contact Us
  • Specimen Cards
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TEST page
  • Human Evolution lab
  • Skull 8

OCOTILLO: Did you know?

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​Fouquieria splendens




​The Ocotillo is a tall spiny plant. Many people believe it is a cactus, but it is not. It is actually in a totally different family. They are related to the Boojum tree. People have many names for the Ocotillo, including candlewood and coachwhip.
 
Ocotillo plants were used in many ways by people who lived in the southwest. Native Americans and ranchers used the dried stems to create fences. The spines were very effective at keeping critters out of vegetable gardens! Native Americans made tea out the ocotillo bark and flowers in order to treat swelling, cough, and sore muscles. The flowers and seeds were eaten raw.
 
Ocotillo plants are very well adapted to living in the desert. Their leaves grow quickly after a rain, and then drop off after the ground dries up. This helps them grow when there is rain, but save energy when there is not. They also have very shallow roots, which help them collect the rain from the soil as soon as possible. An ocotillo plant can live for up to 60 years.
 
Do you notice how the ocotillo flowers look like long, orange tubes? This makes them irresistible to hummingbirds, who are attracted to the bright orange flowers. There is a small amount of nectar deep down in the tube of the flower, and when the hummingbird sticks its beak in to collect the nectar, it gets pollen on its feathers. It then flies to the next ocotillo flower and brings the pollen there. This helps make ocotillo seeds. Ocotillo nectar is important for migrating hummingbirds, especially in dry years when other desert nectar-producing plants have few flowers.
 
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