system, which it uses to gather rainwater. It produces food because the Ocotillo can perform photosynthesis during dry spells. Best Answer: Cacti perform photosynthesis in the same place as all other plants, inside cellular organelles called chloroplasts. What you are really asking. Ocotillo. Official Name: Fouquieria splendens. Family: Fouquieriaceae (There are 11 species of the Fouquieris genus) Names: Candlewood, Candlewhip, Survival of the Thriftiest. after its leaves have fallen, even if in a feeble manner, as H.A. Mooney and B.R. Strain put it in Bark Photosynthesis in Ocotillo. Common names: Ocotillo, Candlewood, Couchwhip: By: Maya Strunk. the rest of the year, photosynthesis occurs beneath the lacquery grey bark of the stems. How to Grow Ocotillo Cacti; How to Grow Ocotillo Cacti by Karen Carter. Email; Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; Reddit;. stem photosynthesis and extreme drought. Search this site. Home; Arachnids. Bark Scorpion 7-12 Published by the Arizona Game & Fish Department - Education Branch and the Heritage Fund Number 4 ® (oxygen). Unfortunately, when stomata open to allow Leafless ocotillos rely on chlorophyll in their stems for photosynthesis. Thus, ocotillos make the best of good times and survive. Plant of the Week. Great Blue. Plant Ecology of the Sonoran Desert Region - Skip Links. Many people mistakenly identify ocotillos. Photosynthesis is more efficient during these cooler times.