Ocotillo Stems

I called this plant a cactus in one of my last posts. It is not a true cactus but a spiny shrub that looks like it is dead for most of the year but produces tiny leaves and flowers in the spring. Its stems, too, seen up close, are partly green. Also known as coachwhip, candlewood, slimwood, desert coral, Jacob's staff, it produces pink to red flowers. It is native to the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts of Mexico and the southwest USA. We saw some of them in bud in Big Bend National Park but none in flower.