''Fouquieria'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of 11

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of desert

flowering plants Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

, the sole genus in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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 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 (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

on the bases spikes. They are unrelated to

cacti A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

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 The Ericales are a large and diverse order of flowering plants in the asterid group of the eudicots. Well-known and economically important members of this order include tea and ornamental camellias, persimmon, ebony, blueberry, cranberry, l ...

. Before this, they had been variously placed in the

Violales Violales is a botanical name of an order of flowering plants and takes its name from the included family Violaceae; it was proposed by Lindley (1853). The name has been used in several systems, although some systems used the name Parietales for ...

or their own order, Fouquieriales. The

Seri people The Seri or ''Comcaac'' people are an Indigenous group of the Mexican state of Sonora. The majority reside on the Seri communal property (), in the towns of Punta Chueca () and El Desemboque () on the mainland coast of the Gulf of California ...

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 Pierre Éloi Fouquier (26 July 1776 – 1850) was a physician and professor of medicine. Fouquier was born in Maissemy. He died in Paris. Titles and works He was a member of the Académie Nationale de Médecine in 1820 and its president ...

(1776-1850).

Ecology

Fouquieria shrevei ''Fouquieria shrevei'' is a plant species native to the States of Coahuila and Durango states of northeastern Mexico. It is simply referred to as an ocotillo. It is endemic to some scattered gypsum outcroppings in the Bolsón de Mapimí, where th ...

'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, 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 Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate Hydrate, dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk ...

. 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 Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...

s or

carpenter bee Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant m ...

s. ''

Fouquieria diguetii ''Fouquieria diguetii'', known by the common names Adam's tree,palo Adán, and Baja aliforniaTree Ocotillo, is a plant in the family Fouquieriaceae native to the southern half of the Baja California Peninsula, and the coasts of Sonora and Sinal ...

'' 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 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 ...

''. The spines of ''Fouquieria'' develop in an unusual way, from a woody thickening on the outer (lower) side of the leaf

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

, 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

and the bordering US states of

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, southern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, and parts of southwestern

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, favoring low, arid hillsides.

Species

, the following species are accepted:

References

External links

*
Fouquieriaceae
i
L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.
{{Authority control Ericales genera