Ephedra nevadensis |
Ephedra |
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Nevada Ephedra, Nevada jointfir, Nevada Mormon tea |
cañatilla, Ephedra, joint-fir, Mormon-tea, popotillo, tepopote |
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Habit | Shrubs erect, 0.25–1.5 m. | Shrubs or occasionally clambering vines. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bark | gray, fissured. |
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Branches | alternate or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 45°. |
jointed, yellowish green to olive-green when young. |
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Twigs | pale green, becoming yellow with age, not viscid, glaucous, with numerous longitudinal grooves; internodes 1–6 cm. |
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Leaves | opposite (rarely in whorls of 3), 2–4(–8) mm, connate to 1/2–3/4 their length; bases thickened, brown, completely deciduous; apex obtuse. |
opposite or in whorls of 3, apex obtuse to setaceous from an adaxial-median thickening. |
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Pollen cones | 1–several at node, ellipsoid, 4–8 mm, sessile or on short peduncles with 2 pairs of basal bracts; bracts opposite, 5–9 pairs, yellow to light brown, obovate, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, membranous; bracteoles slightly exceeding bracts; sporangiophores 3–5 mm, exserted to 1/4–1/2 their length, with 6–9 sessile to short-stalked (less than 1 mm) microsporangia. |
lanceoloid or ellipsoid to ovoid or obovoid. |
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Seed(s) | cones 1–several at node, nearly globose, 5–11 mm, on long peduncles, with 1–2 pairs of basal bracts; bracts opposite, 3–5 pairs, nearly circular, 4–8 × 3–6 mm, herbaceous, with light brown to yellow-green center, occasionally pinkish tinged, margins entire. |
cones ellipsoid to ovoid, obovoid, or nearly globose. |
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Terminal | buds conic, 1–3 mm, apex obtuse. |
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x | = 7. |
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2n | = 14, 28. |
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Ephedra nevadensis |
Ephedra |
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Phenology | Coning late winter–midspring. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Dry, rocky slopes and hills, rarely in sandy flat areas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 700–1900 m (2300–6200 ft) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NV; OR; UT
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Mexico; Generally dry areas in temperate; tropical North America and Mediterranean regions; South America (Ecuador to Patagonia and lowland Argentina); s Europe; Asia; n Africa (including Canary Islands) |
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Discussion | The species of Ephedra are presented here in alphabetical order for three reasons. First, no modern monographic treatment has been written for all species of the genus since that of O. Stapf (1889). Second, it appears that the species occurring in North America belong to at least three wholly different groups within the genus, but this is not yet supported by thorough systematic studies. Third, interspecific relationships within any putative infrageneric group occurring in North America are at best vague and ill defined. The North American species of Ephedra are well defined based on combinations of vegetative and reproductive characters. Putative hybrids reported and described by H. C. Cutler (1939) appear to be products of singular events; these hybrids are discussed under the parental species. Infraspecific taxa are not recognized in this treatment because there appear to be no consistent defining characters and no geographic correlations; previous recognition of infraspecific taxa (H. C. Cutler 1939) appears to be based on random variability. Species ca. 60 (12 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 2. | FNA vol. 2. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Ephedraceae > Ephedra | Ephedraceae | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Synonyms | E. antisyphilitica, E. antisyphilitica var. pedunculata, E. nevadensis var. paucibracteata | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name authority | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 298. (1879) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1040. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 462, (1754) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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