Ephedra aspera |
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boundary Ephedra, Mormon tea, pitamoreal, rough jointfir |
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Habit | Shrubs erect, 0.5–1.5 m. |
Bark | gray, cracked and fissured. |
Branches | opposite or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 30°. |
Twigs | pale to dark green, becoming yellow with age, not viscid, slightly to strongly scabrous, with numerous longitudinal grooves; internodes 1–6 cm. |
Leaves | opposite (rarely in whorls of 3), 1–3(–5) mm, connate to 1/2–7/8 their length; bases thickened, brown, shredding with age, ± persistent; apex obtuse. |
Pollen cones | 2 (rarely 1 or whorled) at node, obovoid, 4–7 mm, sessile or rarely on short peduncles; bracts opposite, 6–10 pairs, yellow to red-brown, obovate, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, membranous; bracteoles slightly exceeding bracts; sporangiophores 4–5 mm, 1/2 exserted, with 4–6 sessile to short-stalked (less than 1 mm) microsporangia. |
Seed | cones usually 2 at node, ovoid, 6–10 mm, sessile or on short, scaly peduncles; bracts opposite, 5–7 pairs, circular, 4–7 × 2–4 mm, membranous, with red-brown thickened center and base, margins entire.; seed 1, ellipsoid, 5–8 × 2–4 mm, light brown to brown, smooth to slightly scabrous. |
Terminal | buds conic, 1–2 mm, apex obtuse. |
Ephedra aspera |
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Phenology | Coning March–April. |
Habitat | Dry rocky slopes, ravines, and fans |
Elevation | 500–1800 m (1600–5900 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NM; TX; n Mexico
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Source | FNA vol. 2. |
Parent taxa | Ephedraceae > Ephedra |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | E. nevadensis var. aspera, E. peninsularis, E. reedii |
Name authority | Engelmann ex S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 18: 157. (1883) |
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