Flowers of the Southwest Deserts

by Natt N. Dodge

Burrobush is another of the common desert shrubs whose fruits are much more conspicuous than the blossoms. The shrub itself is bright green in color, and somewhat resembles the common Russian-thistle. It is widespread, and abundant in sandy washes, where it tends to form thickets.

In some localities it is called “Cheeseweed” because of the cheesy odor of the crushed foliage.

It occurs throughout the Southwest at elevations below 4,000 feet, from western Texas to southern California and northern Mexico.

RED

Fouquieria splendens

Common names: OCOTILLO, SLIMWOOD, COACHWHIP, CANDLEWOOD, FLAMINGSWORD Arizona, California and Texas deserts: (Fouquieria splendens). Bright red. April-May. Ocotillo family. Size: Up to 15 feet tall.

One of the few flower families restricted to the desert, the unique Ocotillo (oh-koh-TEE-oh) with its long, unbranching stems is found on rocky hillsides below 5,000 feet from western Texas to southern California and south into Mexico. It is one of the commonest, queerest, and most spectacular of desert plants, especially when the tips of its long, slender stems seem afire with dense clusters of bright red blossoms. Following rains, leaves clothe the thorny stems with green, but after the soil becomes dry, the leaves turn brown and fall. The heavily thorned stems are covered with green bark which takes over the functions of leaves during periods of drought. The plant thus becomes semi-dormant during hot dry periods and, in sections of the desert visited by showers, may go through this cycle several times during a year.

Because of its sharp thorns, strangers to the desert may think that the Ocotillo is one of the Cacti, but it is more closely related to both the Violet and the Tamarix than to the Cacti.

Stems of the Ocotillo are used by natives in building huts. They are sometimes cut and, when planted close together in rows, take root and form living fences and corrals.