''Fouquieria'' is a
genus of 11
species of
desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
plants, the sole genus in the
family Fouquieriaceae. The genus includes the ocotillo (''
F. splendens'') and the Boojum tree or cirio (''
F. columnaris''). They have semi
succulent
In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...
stems with thinner spikes projecting from them, with
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
on the bases spikes. They are unrelated to
cacti
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
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
Cuatro is Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the number four.
Cuatro may also refer to:
* Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see Cuatro) and the other from Venezuela (see Cuatro)
* ...
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
hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...
s or
carpenter bees. ''
Fouquieria diguetii'' is host to a
peacock mite
The peacock mites of the genus ''Tuckerella'' ( the only genus of the mite family Tuckerellidae) are a significant herbivorous pest in the tropics, for example on citrus fruit. Other species dwell in grasses, possibly as root feeders.
The peaco ...
, ''
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
References
*
External links
The Fouquieria Page at the National University of Mexico with photos of the species in the wild
i
L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133229
Ericales genera