Fouquieria diguetii (Tiegh.) I.M.Johnst.

Taxon Name and Growth Form

Fouquieria diguetii (Tiegh.) I.M.Johnst. is a deciduous shrub that grows from a short, thick trunk, with spines covering all its branches.

General Height Range

Mature plants typically reach 1.8 to 3 meters in height, though considerable variation in growth habit occurs across the species' range.

Regional Height Variation

Mature plants growing in the Sonoran Desert usually only reach 1 to 3 meters tall at maturity, while mature plants in southern tropical regions of the range commonly grow taller than 4 meters.

Leaf Characteristics

Its leaves are dark green, elliptic, and can grow up to 2 centimeters long.

Flower Structure

It produces bright red, long, tubular flowers arranged in inflorescences, whose length also varies widely across the species' range.

Inflorescence Length Driver

Inflorescence length depends on the moisture available when the inflorescence develops.

Regional Inflorescence Length Variation

In arid parts of the range, inflorescences average 5.1 centimeters long, while in tropical parts of the range they average 11.5 centimeters long.

Seasonal Inflorescence Length Variation

Inflorescences produced during the dry season are also much shorter than those produced in wet seasons.

Pollination

These bright red flowers attract hummingbirds, which are the primary pollinators for this species.

Baja California Distribution

This plant is distributed from the area around El Crucero in southern Baja California south to the cape of Baja California Sur, and also grows on surrounding islands in the Gulf of California, as well as Santa Margarita Island and Magdalena Island along the Pacific coast.

Mainland Mexico Distribution

It can also be found on sections of the Gulf of California-facing coast of Sonora and Sinaloa.

Population Abundance

The species is common across its entire native range.

Montserrat Island Habitat

On Montserrat Island in the Gulf of California, it grows on marine terraces and escarpments.