Ocotillo

The ocotillo (also called the coachwhip, Jacob's staff, and the vine cactus) is a curious desert plant of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. For much of the year, the plant appears to be an arrangement of large dead sticks, although closer examination reveals that the stems are partly green. When rain comes, the plant quickly becomes lush with small (2-4 cm) ovate leaves, which may remain for weeks or even months.

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The 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 (specimens in cultivation may not exhibit any secondary branches at all). The leaf stalks harden into blunt spines, and new leaves sprout from the base of the spine. The bright red flowers appear in spring and summer, occurring as a group of small tube shapes at the tip of the stem.

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Ocotillo poles are a common fencing material in their native region, and often take root to form a living fence.

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Image:Ocotillo_leaves-300px.jpg|Closeup of ocotillo leaves

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Image:Ocotillo_flowers-300px.jpg|Closeup of ocotillo flowers

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Desert: In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation, less than 250 mm per year.. Deserts have a reputation for supporting very little life. Compared to wetter regions this may be true, although upon closer examination, deserts often harbor a wealth of life that us...

Plant: Land plants (embryophytes)Non-vascular plants (bryophytes)Hepaticophyta - liverwortsAnthocerotophyta - hornwortsBryophyta - mossesVascular plants (tracheophytes)Lycopodiophyta - clubmossesEquisetophyta - horsetailsPteridophyta - "true" fernsPsilotophyta - whisk fernsOphioglossophyta - adderstonguesS...

Mexico: The United Mexican States or Mexico (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos or M?xico; regarding the use of the variant spelling M?jico, see section The name below) is a country located in North America, bordered by the United States to the north, and Belize and Guatemala to the southeast. It is the nort...

Ocotillo related Images and Photos (experimental)

Blooming Ocotillo Cactus and Brittlebush Desert Wildflowers Anza-Borrego Desert State Park