Ephedra funerea |
Ephedra antisyphilitica |
|
---|---|---|
Death Valley Ephedra, Death Valley jointfir, funera Mormon tea |
clap-weed, erect Ephedra, popote, tepopote, vine Ephedra |
|
Habit | Shrubs erect, 0.25–1.5 m. | Shrubs erect or spreading, 0.25–1 m. |
Bark | gray, slightly cracked and irregularly fissured. |
gray, slightly cracked and irregularly fissured. |
Branches | alternate or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 60°. |
alternate or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 45°. |
Twigs | gray-green, becoming gray with age, glaucous, slightly scabrous, with numerous very fine longitudinal grooves; internodes 2–6 cm. |
green, becoming yellow-green with age, glaucous, not viscid, with numerous longitudinal grooves; internodes 2–5 cm. |
Leaves | in whorls of 3, 2–6 mm, connate to 2/3–3/4 their length; bases splitting at margins, persistent, forming black, thickened collar; apex acute. |
opposite, 1–3 mm, connate to 2/3–7/8 their length; bases thickened, brown, completely deciduous; apex obtuse. |
Pollen cones | 1–3 at node, narrowly ellipsoid, 5–8 mm, on very short, scaly peduncles (rarely sessile); bracts in 6–9 whorls of 3, light yellow, ovate, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, membranous, base short-clawed; bracteoles equaling bracts; sporangiophores 3–5 mm, exserted to 1/3 their length, with 3–7 sessile to short-stalked microsporangia. |
1–2 at node, lance-ellipsoid, 5–8 mm, sessile to nearly sessile; bracts opposite, 5–8 pairs, pale green to red, obovate, 2–4 × 2–3 mm, membranous, connate at base; bracteoles slightly exceeding bracts; sporangiophores 4–5 mm, 1/2 exserted, with 4–6 sessile to very short-stalked (less than 1 mm) microsporangia. |
Seed(s) | cones 1–3 at node, lance-obovoid, 8–15 mm, on short, scaly peduncles (rarely sessile); bracts in 6–9 whorls of 3, obovate, 4–8 × 3–5 mm, papery, yellow-translucent with green-yellow center and base, base broadly clawed, margins slightly dentate. |
cones 1–2 at node, ellipsoid, 6–12 mm, sessile to nearly sessile; bracts opposite, 4–6 pairs, ovate, 5–7 × 5–10 mm, connate to 1/8–7/8 their length, inner pairs becoming fleshy and red. |
Terminal | buds conic, 1–4 mm, apex acute. |
buds conic, 1–3 mm, apex obtuse. |
Ephedra funerea |
Ephedra antisyphilitica |
|
Phenology | Coning March–April. | Coning March–April. |
Habitat | Sandy, dry soil and rocky scrub areas | Arid soils and rocky slopes |
Elevation | 500–1500 m (1600–4900 ft) | 100–1200 m (300–3900 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; NV
|
OK; TX; Mexico in Nuevo León and San Luis Potosí
|
Discussion | Of conservation concern. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Mexican populations of Ephedra antisyphilitica are disjunct from those in Texas. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 2. | FNA vol. 2. |
Parent taxa | Ephedraceae > Ephedra | Ephedraceae > Ephedra |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. californica var. funerea | E. antisyphilitica var. brachycarpa, E. occidentalis, E. texana |
Name authority | Coville & C. V. Morton: J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 25: 307. (1935) | Berlandier ex C. A. Meyer |
Web links |