ocotillo

American  

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

noun

plural

ocotillos

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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Etymology

Origin of ocotillo

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

Example Sentences

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

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

From New York Times • Mar. 8, 2019

Clamber onto a well-trained horse for a leisurely guided trail ride through prickly pear, yucca and spindly ocotillo in Verde Valley wine country.

From Washington Post • Feb. 7, 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