Fouquieria is a genus of 11 species of desert plants, the sole genus in the family
Fouquieriaceae. The genus includes the ocotillo (
F. splendens) and the boojum tree or cirio (
F. columnaris). They have semisucculent stems with thinner spikes projecting from them, with leaves on the bases spikes. They are unrelated to cacti and do not look much like them; their stems are proportionately thinner than cactus stems and their leaves are larger.
(Wikipedia)