Fouquieria is a genus of 11 species of desert flowering plants, the sole genus in the family Fouquieriaceae. The genus is native to North America and includes the ocotillo (F. splendens) and the Boojum tree or cirio (F. columnaris). They have semi succulent stems with thinner spikes projecting from them, with leaves on the bases of the spikes. They are unrelated to cacti and do not look much like them; their stems are proportionately thinner than cactus stems and their leaves are larger.
Taxonomy
Taxonomic history Fouquieria species do not have a particularly close resemblance to any other sort of plants; genetic evidence has shown they belong in the Ericales. Before this, they had been variously placed in the Violales or their own order, Fouquieriales.
The Seri people identify three species of Fouquieria in their area of Mexico: jomjéeziz or xomjéeziz (F. splendens), jomjéeziz caacöl (F. diguetii, Baja California tree ocotillo), and cototaj (F. columnaris, boojum).
Etymology The genus is named after French physician Pierre Fouquier (1776-1850).
Ecology Fouquieria shrevei is endemic to the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin in Mexico, and is unusual in possessing vertical resinous wax bands on the stems, and exhibits gypsophily, the ability to grow on soils with a high concentration of gypsum. It has aromatic white flowers and is presumed to be moth-pollinated. Other species in the genus with orange or red flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds or carpenter bees. Fouquieria diguetii is host to a peacock mite, Tuckerella eloisae.
The spines of Fouquieria develop in an unusual way, from a woody thickening on the outer (lower) side of the leaf petiole, which remains after the leaf blade and most of the petiole separate and fall from the plant.W. J. Robinson, 1904. The spines of Fouquieria. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 31(1):45–50
Distribution and habitat These plants are native to northern Mexico and the bordering US states of Arizona, southern California, New Mexico, and parts of southwestern Texas, favoring low, arid hillsides.
Species , the following species are accepted: Image Scientific name DistributionFouquieria burragei Rose – gulf ocotilloMexico (E. Baja California Sur)Fouquieria columnaris (Kellogg) Kellogg ex Curran – boojum tree Mexico (C. Baja California, NW. Sonora)Fouquieria diguetii (Tiegh.) I.M.Johnst. – Adam's treeMexico (Baja California, CW. Sonora)Fouquieria fasciculata NashMexico (S. Hidalgo)Fouquieria formosa KunthMexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Puebla, Morelos, Michoacán, México State, Distrito Federal, Jalisco) Fouquieria leonilae MirandaMexico (C. Guerrero)Fouquieria macdougallii NashMexico (Sonora, Sinaloa, W. Chihuahua)Fouquieria ochoterenae MirandaMexico (SW. Puebla, NW. Oaxaca) Fouquieria purpusii BrandegeeMexico (S. Puebla, N. Oaxaca)Fouquieria shrevei I.M.Johnst.Mexico (W. Coahuila)Fouquieria splendens Engelm. – ocotilloUnited States (southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas), and northern Mexico (as far south as Hidalgo and Guerrero).
References
External links
Fouquieriaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.