| Fouquieria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Fouquieriaceae DC.[2] |
| Genus: | Fouquieria Kunth[1] |
| Type species | |
| Fouquieria formosa | |
| Species | |
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
Fouquieria is agenus of 11species of desertflowering plants, the sole genus in thefamilyFouquieriaceae. The genus is native to North America and includes the ocotillo (F. splendens) and the Boojum tree or cirio (F. columnaris). They have semisucculent stems with thinner spikes projecting from them, withleaves on the bases of the spikes. They are unrelated tocacti and do not look much like them; their stems are proportionately thinner than cactus stems and their leaves are larger.
Fouquieria species do not have a particularly close resemblance to any other sort of plants; genetic evidence has shown they belong in theEricales. Before this, they had been variously placed in theViolales or their own order, Fouquieriales.[citation needed]
TheSeri people identify three species ofFouquieria in their area of Mexico:jomjéeziz orxomjéeziz (F. splendens),jomjéeziz caacöl (F. diguetii, Baja California tree ocotillo), andcototaj (F. columnaris, boojum).[3]
The genus is named after French physicianPierre Fouquier (1776-1850).
Fouquieria shrevei isendemic to theCuatro Ciénegas Basin inMexico, and is unusual in possessing vertical resinous wax bands on the stems, and exhibitsgypsophily, the ability to grow on soils with a high concentration ofgypsum. It has aromatic white flowers and is presumed to be moth-pollinated. Other species in the genus with orange or red flowers are pollinated byhummingbirds orcarpenter bees.Fouquieria diguetii is host to apeacock mite,Tuckerella eloisae.[citation needed]
The spines ofFouquieria develop in an unusual way, from a woody thickening on the outer (lower) side of the leafpetiole, which remains after the leaf blade and most of the petiole separate and fall from the plant.[4]
These plants are native to northernMexico and the borderingUS states ofArizona, southernCalifornia,New Mexico, and parts of southwesternTexas, favoring low, arid hillsides.[citation needed]
As of March 2025[update], the following species are accepted:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 | Fouquieria burrageiRose – gulf ocotillo[6] | Mexico (E. Baja California Sur) |
.jpg) | Fouquieria columnaris(Kellogg) Kellogg ex Curran – boojum tree[6] | Mexico (C. Baja California, NW. Sonora) |
 | Fouquieria diguetii(Tiegh.) I.M.Johnst. – Adam's tree[6] | Mexico (Baja California, CW. Sonora) |
 | Fouquieria fasciculataNash | Mexico (S. Hidalgo) |
 | Fouquieria formosaKunth | Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Puebla, Morelos, Michoacán, México State, Distrito Federal, Jalisco) |
| Fouquieria leonilaeMiranda | Mexico (C. Guerrero) | |
 | Fouquieria macdougalliiNash | Mexico (Sonora, Sinaloa, W. Chihuahua) |
 | Fouquieria ochoterenaeMiranda | Mexico (SW. Puebla, NW. Oaxaca) |
| Fouquieria purpusiiBrandegee | Mexico (S. Puebla, N. Oaxaca) | |
 | Fouquieria shreveiI.M.Johnst. | Mexico (W. Coahuila) |
 | Fouquieria splendensEngelm. – ocotillo[7] | United States (southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas), and northern Mexico (as far south as Hidalgo and Guerrero). |
| National | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
