PlantFiles: Ocotillo, Candlewood
Fouquieria splendens

There are quite a few of these desert beauties in older central texas gardens. Yet they are quite hard to find for sale.
Don't hesitate to snap one up if you see it. I've grow all mine in unwatered (once established) areas in full sun. If you have heavy black clay, like me, a raised area or container may be best.
Beautiful in bloom, striking when bare of leaf.
Hummingbirds love the flowers!
Grow quite large, and extremely thorny, so give plent of space!
I've seen large specimens 12-15' tall and 8 feet around or so.

The few specimens that are planted in the ground thrive in the Miami area. With our abundant moisture the plants tend to sprawl outward, rather than growing decidedly upright. The flowers are lovely, but don't have the same impact as in the desert Southwest because the plants usually are in full leaf as well. They tend to hold their leaves for long periods here and grow fairly quickly.

I've seen this growing in the wild surrounding Phoenix and on the 'El Camino Del Diablo Trail' (Devils' Highway) that runs between Ajo and Wellton, Arizona in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
I've also seen these growing in the wild on the West Ruby Road Trail in Arizona (South of Tucson), off of Interstate 19 through to Ruby, AZ and on to Arivaca, AZ.

The zone rating for this beautiful plant is deceptive. I know for sure that it is atleast hardy to zone 7. It is a popular landscape plant where I live in zone 7. I love it for its versatility and beauty. It's perfect for xeriscaping, can handle our cold winters and 100+ temps in the summer, and bears beautiful red blooms in the spring.

Fouqueria splendens is awesome! These are deciduous shubs with tons of interest and character. These are native to the desert southwest. The mojave and Colorado deserts east to Western Texas and Mexico. They have many stiff and upright stems that are gray/gray-green. Height approx. 8 to 30ft tall. Stems are covered with sharp, needle like thorns, wear gloves when handling/pruning. Very fleshy and rounded leafs 1/2 inch long. They appear after rains/watering and soon drop off. The flowers are tubular in nature, 1 inch long and bright red in extremely attractive clusters. Flowers also appear after rains. Can be used as a natural fence, for various screening or singularly as a specimen planting. Must have excellent drainage and full sun. Never overwater. In fact, the least amount the better. let the rain do the work. Cuttings soaked overnight and planted into moist soil will grow. You can find ocotillo in bare root form. Soak root ball stems in water overnight 24 to 48 hours, then plant and water in well, and only once! After that, she's in God's hands! Good luck. If you have trouble finding in bare root form let me know. I can help.

I have seen this plant both wild (Sonoran Desert) and cultivated - even as a street tree/shrub in Tucson, AZ. The blossoms are striking, at the end of the longest spiny branches - flaming red or orange fountain sprays. After a rain, small leaves will develop, then drop when desert dries out again.