Valle de los Cirios, Baja California. Photo:
Foto: Alan
AlanHarper.
Harper.
El cirio
The
Boojum
tree,
especie endémica
an endemic
of Baja California
despecies
Baja California
José Delgadillo
Rodríguez
By Por
JoséDr.
Delgadillo
Rodríguez
PhD
T
The Boojum tree is surely the most representative
plant found in the central arid desert of the peninsula
of Baja California. It is specially, the most representative one in the area called Valle de los Cirios in the
Vizcaino Desert which is also known as Cochimí Desert (Delgadillo, 1998). The Boojum tree (Fouquieria columnaris)
belongs to the botanical family Fouquieriaceae. It has a single
genus Fouquieria and 11 different species, including the ocotillo.
Its columnar form has attracted the attention of many botanists.
This fleshy stem plant is considered as a unique specimen among
Mexican flora and, of course, among a select group of species in
the world with such features.
An identical biotype (biological form) can be found in Karoo,
Africa, an oceanic desert similar to the Vizcaino Desert. We are
talking about the Pachypodium namaquamum, a plant that also
has a fleshy stem. Because of this fact, we can deduce that these
biotypes reflect an ancient adaptation to a type of climate that did
not suffered significant oscillations.
In 1751, Father Fernando Consag published a text that proves
the existence of the Boojum trees and their properties. For these were tall, straight and branchless trees, Father Consag and his
entourage gave them the name of cirios which in Spanish means
candle. On the other hand, Cochimí indians called them milapa
(Leon-Portilla, 1988). In the United States, it is known as Boojum
tree that refers to “a mythical thing that inhabits desolate and remote places” (Humphrey, 1974).
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JUNE 2016
These plants are like giants, they can measure up
to 65 feet, but the tallest one known was 86 feet tall.
Moreover, some people compare them to carrots
because of their shape. However, it is very common
to find plants with branches and capricious formations.
The Boojum tree blooms in August and September. Its flowers are small with creamy-yellow corollas. They have a strong fragrance that smell like honey, and they produce a sweet nectar. Some reports
indicate that 15 different species of bees visit these
flowers (Humphrey and Werner 1969, in Henrickson, 1972).
The terminal growth of their stems apparently
occurs only during the winter-spring period. This
never happens during the summer or any other
season. During years of unusual winter rains their
growth is considerable in contrast with little or no
growth during years of extreme drought (Humphrey, 1974). This slow-growing species is found on
rocky hillsides and floodplains, mainly in deep soils
of granitic-clay origin that facilitate good drainage
processes. They are also found in other types of soil
such as those of volcanic origin, and humidity produced by fog plays a very important role as their
main source of water.