Ocotillo? What's that? by matcrazy1
Enlarge my picture, please. These flowers on the left are called Ocotillo. I found them in front of the Yuma Visitor Information Center. Then I could see them many times on my way via Arizona, New Mexico to southern Texas.Quick facts on Ocotillo:
Range
Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts of southeast California to west Texas and south into Mexico.
Habitat
Open, stony, well-drained desert slopes below 5,000 feet.
Flowers
Red flowers are 1/2 to 1 inch (12-24 mm) in length, with five short lobes curled back into 10-inch clusters. They appear at the ends of branches March through June or later, depending on rainfall.
Ocotillo are leafless most of the year, except immediately after rain; the leaves then quickly wither after the soil dries out. These narrow, oval leaves are about 2 inches long, appearing in bunches above spines.