ocotillo

American  

[oh-kuh-teel-yoh, aw-kaw-tee-yaw] / ˌoʊ kəˈtil joʊ, ˌɔ kɔˈti jɔ /

noun

• ocotillos
  plural

1. a spiny, woody shrub, Fouqueria splendens, of arid regions of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, having a tight cluster of red flowers at the tip of each branch.

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ocotillo British  

/ ˌəʊkəˈtiːljəʊ /

noun

1. a cactus-like tree, Fouquieria splendens, of Mexico and the southwestern US, with scarlet tubular flowers: used for hedges and candlewood: family Fouquieriaceae

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ocotillos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ocotillo

1855–60, < Mexican Spanish, diminutive of ocote kind of pine < Nahuatl ocotl

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Explanation

An ocotillo is a spiky desert plant with bright reddish-orange blossoms that resemble long tubes. You can find ocotillos growing in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. For many months of the year, ocotillo plants look like tall, dead, spiky shrubs, their bare, gray stalks covered in sharp spines. But when conditions are wet enough, ocotillos sprout small, bright green leaves — and in the spring, they bloom brilliantly. An ocotillo in full flower is a bright spot in the desert landscape that's particularly popular with pollinating insects and hummingbirds. The word ocotillo comes from Mexican Spanish and Nahuatl, meaning "little torch."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ocotillo ocotillos

Alvaro Enciso and a group of volunteers walking through an ocotillo forest.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2024

As with the ocotillo, the problem seemed to be that the plants usually found around the trees were dead or dying, leaving virtually no moisture for rodents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2021

It was just past noon when Cornett came upon a rat’s nest built into the base of an ocotillo, a spindly, long-stemmed plant with Kelly green leaves and lipstick red flowers that bloom in spring.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2021

A few foot paths snaked into the hills on the American side staked with spiky ocotillo cactus.

From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2019

Here, on a low, sun-scorched rise dotted with chollas and indigobushes and twelve-foot ocotillo stems, McCandless slept on the sand under a tarp hung from a creosote branch.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

It is high desert; ocotillos, scrubby junipers and sagebrush bushes dot the earth between the pinyon pines that give her unincorporated community its name.

From New York Times ● Jan. 12, 2024

Many desert plants, like ocotillos, Washington fan palms and Joshua trees, are also declining from warming temperatures, less precipitation and thirstier animals.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2022

But with so many other plants as dry as death, perhaps ocotillos were the next best option.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2021

We wandered through a grove of ocotillos, leafed out after a recent rain.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 30, 2015

But to the observant, a careful look reveals surprising signs of a new civilization rising among the ocotillos and greasewood.

From Time Magazine Archive

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