Sonoran desert red fire barrel; very dry, rocky soil.
Cactus and Succulents
Ferocactus emoryi
Large barrel to 40″d; blooms young; hooked spines
Ferocactus glaucescens
Solitary or multistemmed globular barrels to 20″d. Bluish hue, flattened top, brownish-yellow recurved spines.
Ferocactus gracilis
Solitary cylindrical to 5ft. tall, 12″ diameter
Ferocactus gracilis ssp. coloratus
Baja native; solitary barrel to 12″ dia., eventually 4′ tall
Ferocactus hamatacanthus
Solitary barrel to 12″ dia., eventually 2′ tall;
Ferocactus herrerae
F. wislizeni v. herrerae
Solitary cylindrical to 6ft. tall, 18″d. Yellow/red flowers
Ferocactus histrix
Widespread throughout Mexico. Large barrel to 24+ inches across, will eventually form a column to nearly 4ft tall. While once considered sacred, they are now harvested as a part of the candy industry.
Ferocactus latispinus
Large barrel to 18″d.; blooms young; very thick hooked spines
Ferocactus macrodiscus
Barrel cactus that grows usually flattened, 12-16″ d., often partially submerged in the soil.
Ferocactus peninsulae
Ferocactus pottsi
Solitary barrel to 16″ dia., eventually 3′ tall
Ferocactus robustus
Large clusters can reach 15ft wide; yellow flowers
Ferocactus stainesii
F. pilosus
Generally solitary, fast grower, to 24″; new spines bright red
Ferocactus tiburonensis
F. wislizeni v. tiburonensis
Large barrel to 3ft. tall; red blooms, very thick hooked spines
Ferocactus viridescens
Solitary barrels grow along the Southern California coast to 12″ tall.
Ferocactus wislizeni
Usually solitary to 30″ d.; striped orange/red blooms, narrow curved spines
Ferraria crispa
Bizzare Iris-relative emerges in fall with unique silver-green succulent “airplane-wing” leaves. Extraordinary, intricate blooms follow Winter through Spring, with the added bonus of carrion fragrance! Summer dormant, keep dry until Fall rains.
Ficus “Ginseng”
Ficus microcarpa
Caudiciform tree, will slowly develop a swollen base and makes a beautiful houseplant natural bonsai specimen. Glossy green leaves. In the ground is a full size tree, ancient specimens growing over 100ft tall.
Can be grown indoor as a tropical houseplant, can handle a variety of indoor light conditions, bright indirect is best. Fast draining soil, moderate water, some humidity.
Ficus palmeri
Caudiciform tree. Unique tree that develops a swollen base when young and a white trunk with papery bark. Lives on rocky cliff faces and makes a beautiful bonsai specimen. Drought deciduous. Very slow growing to form a large caudex first and then trunk height later.
Ficus petiolaris
Red-veined green leaves. Large caudex base. Will grow 10-20ft tall (to over 75ft in habitat), very slowly.
Ficus umbellata
Caudiciform tree, will slowly develop a 2ft swollen base and makes a beautiful houseplant bonsai specimen. Drought deciduous. Large, glossy heart-shaped green leaves.
Fockea capensis
F. crispa
Vining caudiciform Asclepiad to 24″; Dry in winter, sweet smelling flowers late summer
Fockea edulis
Easy to grow caudiciform. Long vines with small green leaves, yellow flowers. Semi-deciduous. Keep dry in winter.
Fouquieria campanulata
F. splendens ssp. campanulata
Rare ocotillo subspecies
Fouquieria columnaris
Idria columnaris
Thick base, spiny branches covered in small green leaves. Dormant in summer; Slow grower to 50ft.
Fouquieria diguetii
Summer growing – requires some watering through the warmer months. Short thick trunk with multiple branches and orange/red tubular flowers attractive to hummingbirds. Keep dry in winter.
Fouquieria formosa
spiny shrub upright to 25ft.; red flowers in spring
Fouquieria macdougalii
Striated trunk to 15ft.; Open branching. Large sprays of red blooms on the tips of the branches in spring and fall, blooms when young. Grows well in rocky or sandy soils. Can leaf out any time there is rain, summer or winter.
Fouquieria purpusii
Large green trunk, with varied bark and corky spine scars, upright to 12ft.