Family:  Ocotillo (Fouquieriaceae)

Hardy to Zones 10 to 12, otherwise grown as a potted plant and brought indoors for the winter

(Candlewood, Couchwhip) Sturdy, whiplike, woody, spiny shrub to 20 feet, native to the deserts of the American SW,  Baha and Mexico. Blooming scarlet in early spring, these drive hummingbirds wild!  The flowers fall away and in response to sufficient rain, the plant leafs out.  When not in leaf, the green, resiny bark photosynthesizes. I find these to be dependable potted plants and have several of them in my greenhouses–even when not flowering they are oddly beautiful.  They do not mind potted culture, and last on and on. Traditional usage (TWM): congestion in the pelvic zone, urinary infection, hemorrhoids and BPH, lymphatic drainage.  Sun tea of flowers is delicious.  Sow in spring, or anytime in a warm greenhouse.  Easy and rewarding germinator.  Sow just below surface of fast-draining soil in pot, tamp securely and keep barely moist and very warm until germ, which takes only a few days.  Grow out in successively larger pots.  If your environment suits, then the plant may eventually be transplanted to the landscape.

20 seeds/pkt, Open Pollinated, Untreated, NO GMO’s