Fouquieria columnaris

Fouquieria columnaris (Boojum Tree or cirio) is a species of flowering tree in the Fouquieriaceae family. It is endemic to the Baja California peninsula in the Sierra Bacha of Sonora. The plant's English name, "boojum" was given by Godfrey Sykes, who took the name from Lewis Carroll's poem, "The Hunting of the Snark".

Distribution
The odd distribution pattern of the mainland boojums has led Mexican botanists to believe that they were probably transplanted to mainland by the Seri people, who indigenously lived in this area and still live on communal property south of the location. However, the Seri believe that if someone touched the boojum, known to them as the cototaj, a strong wind will blow, which is not a desirable state. Given this belief, the hypothesis that the Seri transplanted it to the mainland is doubtful.

Description
The trunk of the boojum tree is up to 24 cm thick, with pale yellow-green colored bark. Branches sticking out of the trunk at right angles are covered with leaves 1.5-4 cm long. The creamy-yellow flowers bloom during summer and autumn, occuring in short racemes. When the flowers mature, they grow into a pale-brown fruit capsule. It is closely related to the ocotillo.

Synonyms

 * Idria columnaris