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Plant Highlight: Fouquieria fasciculata
By Brian Kemble
Family placement and area of occurrence
Fouquieria is the sole genus in the family Fouquieriaceae, with 11 species recognized by Rowley in his treatment of the genus for the Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants. All of them occur in Mexico, and one is also found in the southwestern U.S. This last is Fouquieria splendens, with the largest distribution of any species in the genus; it occurs from west Texas to southern California in the U.S., and in numerous states in northern and central Mexico. It is widely referred to as “ocotillo”, and it is often seen planted in desert gardens. The other species are less widespread and less well known, and some of them have very localized distributions. Two have great appeal to growers of bonsai succulents, due to their dramatically swollen bottle-like trunks, and one of these is Fouquieria fasciculata, native to the central part of the state of Hidalgo.
About the plant
Fouquieria fasciculata may have a single trunk, but often it occurs as a cluster of several trunks, together forming a shrub up to about 10 feet tall (3 m), or occasionally even more than this. The trunks are greatly enlarged at their bases, often taking the form of a chianti bottle. The trunk is green, but with corky gray protrusions that tend to occur in horizontal strips. This combination of a bottle trunk with green and gray striping is also seen in the related Fouquieria purpusii, from farther south, but F. purpusii is taller and has longer leaves.
As with other species in its genus, F. fasciculata has two kinds of leaves, called long-shoot leaves and short-shoot leaves. The long-shoot leaves emerge with the new branches, and they are as much as 2⅙ inches long (55 mm), though usually less than this. These leaves are spoon-like, with a narrow petiole below and a smooth deep green oval blade above. The blade is up to ⅔ of an inch wide (1.7 cm), with a blunt point at its tip, and it tapers to meet the petiole at its base. Extending down the stem at the base of the leaf is a tapering strip of hardened tissue known as a decurrent ridge; at its wider upper end, there is a rigid spur that underlies the petiole, and this spur hardens into a spine after the leaf has withered. On a new shoot the decurrent ridge is maroon, but it ages to gray. The short-shoot leaves emerge from the axils, just above the spines, on older branches. They have much shorter petioles, and they come in groups of two to seven. Their length is variable, but most often they are shorter than the long-shoot leaves, and they have rounded tips, or sometimes slightly indented.
On older stems, a hard gray corky material forms under the decurrent ridges, eventually replacing them and expanding to form the horizontal strips seen on the stems of older plants, contrasting with the smooth green bark.
About the flowers
The inflorescences of F. fasciculata arise at the ends of the stems, with the stem tips branching and re-branching to form a tightly clustered small panicle of white flowers. The whole cluster is up to 3½ inches long (9 cm) and as much as 4.7 inches across (12 cm). Small leaf-like bracts are present on the branches of the inflorescence. Each flower is clasped at its base by five sepals, and these are green at the base and yellowish-white at their tips. Emerging from the cup formed by the ring of sepals is the white floral tube, basically a cylinder with a slight bulge at its middle. At the top of the tube is a slight but noticeable constriction, and above this the tube separates into five petals (corolla limbs), held upright and slightly cupped. Emerging from the mouth of the flower are ten stamens, five of them extending only a little beyond the petal tips, and the other five extending farther. The anthers at the tops of the stamens hold the pale yellow pollen. Within the tube at the base of the flower is the ovary, and arising from this is the style, which branches into a triple tip (the stigmas), nestled among the anthers and ready to receive pollen from the hummingbirds or insects that visit the flower. The flowers have a delicate fragrance, and they have sweet nectar within. In habitat they are visited by hummingbirds, bumble bees, and various other insects attracted by the fragrance and the nectar. Because the flowers are short, the nectar is accessible by more insects than is the case with the long-tubed flowers seen on some other species of Fouquieria.
About the fruits and seeds
The capsules of F. fasciculata are pointed-oval, light brown, and up to just under a half-inch long (12 mm). Within are three to six seeds. At maturity the capsule dries and splits open to release the tannish-white seeds. The seeds are flattened and on average just under a third of an inch long (8mm). They have large wings composed of many long hairs matted together so that they may be carried away by the wind.
Plants in cultivation
Fouquieria fasciculata grows on rocky slopes in the canyons of central Hidalgo, where there is little soil and the rock is calcareous. In cultivation, it requires excellent drainage, occasional deep watering during its growing period in the summer and fall, and plenty of light. It can endure overnight lows down to the mid-twenties F (to -4 C), but should be protected from temperatures lower than this, or from sustained freezes. Its flowering period in habitat is said to be from December to March, but our plant at the Ruth Bancroft Garden flowers mostly in the summer and fall months, without a precise time of the year. Because of its striking bottle-trunked form, F. fasciculata is popular with growers of succulent plants, and it is often seen in shows. It can make a spectacular succulent bonsai subject.
Click here to find out more about what’s in bloom at the Garden.
Photo taken in habitat in Hidalgo.
Photo taken in habitat in Hidalgo.
