Boojum Tree

Fouquieria columnaris

"Fouquieria columnaris" is a tree in the ocotillo family, whose other members include the ocotillos. It is nearly endemic to the Baja California Peninsula, with only a small population in the Sierra Bacha of Sonora, Mexico.
Fouquieria columnaris or Boojum Tree Native of the Baja Peninsula and Northern Mexico https://www.jungledragon.com/image/133150/fouquieria_columnaris_or_boojum_tree_up_close.html Boojum Tree,Fouquieria columnaris,Geotagged,Spring,United States

Appearance

The "Fouquieria columnaris" trunk is up to 24 cm thick, with branches sticking out at right angles, all covered with small leaves 1.5–4 cm long. They can grow to a height of 20 meters. The flowers bloom in summer and autumn; they occur in short racemes, and are creamy yellow with a honey scent.
Fouquieria columnaris or Boojum Tree up close Native to Baja Peninsula and Northern Mexico Boojum Tree,Fouquieria columnaris,Geotagged,Spring,United States

Naming

The plant's English name, Boojum, was given by Godfrey Sykes of the Desert Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona and is taken from Lewis Carroll's poem "The Hunting of the Snark".
Boojum Tree Boojum Tree, (Idria columnaris), tree that is the only species of its genus, in the family Fouquieriaceae. The boojum tree is an unusual plant found native only in the deserts of Baja California and Sonora, Mexico. Fancifully, it resembles a slender upside-down carrot, up to 15 metres (50 feet) tall and covered with spiny twigs that bear yellowish flowers in hanging clusters. As with its relative the ocotillo, the small leaves fall early, leaving the greenish stems to carry out food-producing photosynthesis. The swollen trunk base is often hollow and provides a habitat for honeybees; the wood is somewhat spongy and retains water. The boojum tree is sometimes planted in southern California and Arizona as a landscape curiosity; small plants can be grown indoors. Boojum Tree,Fouquieria columnaris,Geotagged,Spring,United States

Distribution

The peculiar distribution pattern of the mainland boojums has led Mexican botanists to conclude that they were probably transplanted to the mainland by the indigenous Seri people, who lived in this area and still live on communal property south of this location. The Seri name for this plant is "cototaj" [ˈkototax]. In Seri belief, touching this plant will cause strong winds to blow. Given this belief, the hypothesis that the Seri people transplanted it is doubtful.

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderEricales
FamilyFouquieriaceae
GenusFouquieria
SpeciesF. columnaris
Photographed in
United States of America