Flora of North America species comparison

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Ephedra torreyana

Ephedra

Mormon-tea, Torrey's Ephedra, Torrey's joint fir

cañatilla, Ephedra, joint-fir, Mormon-tea, popotillo, tepopote
Habit Shrubs erect, 0.25–1 m. Bark gray, cracked and irregularly fissured. Shrubs or occasionally clambering vines.
Branches

alternate or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 45°.

jointed, yellowish green to olive-green when young.
Twigs

blue-green, becoming gray with age, glaucous, with numerous very fine longitudinal grooves;

internodes 2–5 cm.

Leaves

in whorls of 3, 2–5 mm, connate to 2/3 their length;

bases becoming gray and shredded with age;

apex acute.

opposite or in whorls of 3, apex obtuse to setaceous from an adaxial-median thickening.
Pollen cones

1–4 at node, ovoid, 6–8 mm, sessile;

bracts in 6–9 whorls of 3, cream to pale yellow, ovate, slightly clawed, 2–4 × 2–4 mm, membranous;

bracteoles slightly exceeding bracts;

sporangiophores 2–4 mm, exserted to 1/2 their length, with 5–8 sessile to short-stalked microsporangia.

lanceoloid or ellipsoid to ovoid or obovoid.
Seed(s)

cones 1–several at node, ovoid, 9–15 mm, sessile;

bracts in 5 or 6 whorls of 3, obovate, 6–9 × 6–10 mm, papery, translucent with orange-yellow to greenish yellow center and base, base clawed, margins minutely dentate, undulate.

cones ellipsoid to ovoid, obovoid, or nearly globose.
Terminal

buds conic, less than 4 mm.

x

= 7.

Ephedra torreyana

Ephedra
Phenology Coning spring.
Habitat Dry rocky to sandy areas
Elevation 500–2000 m (1600–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT; Mexico in Chihuahua
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
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)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ephedra torreyana is known to form hybrids with two other species of Ephedra as reported and described by H. C. Cutler (1939). The first of these is E. × intermixta Cutler, the hybrid between E. torreyana and E. trifurca. This hybrid occurs in a small area of southwestern New Mexico (near Engle, Sierra County) within the zone of sympatry of the two parental species; it may be fertile (mature seeds are formed). It is intermediate in most characters but can be identified by its combination of the spinelike terminal buds of E. trifurca and the scabrous, light yellow seeds of E. torreyana.

The second hybrid is Ephedra × arenicola Cutler, the hybrid between E. torreyana and E. cutleri. This hybrid is known only from the type locality in extreme northeastern Arizona (near Dennehotso, Apache County) in an area of sympatry of the parental species. This hybrid is intermediate in most characters, but it can be distinguished by its combination of the setaceous leaves, viscid stems, and long-pedunculate seed cones of E. cutleri with the persistent, whorled leaves of E. torreyana.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

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.)
Key
1. Leaves and bracts mostly in whorls of 3.
→ 2
1. Leaves and bracts mostly opposite.
→ 5
2. Cones always sessile; seeds scabrous.
E. torreyana
2. Cones usually with short, scaly peduncles (rarely sessile); seeds usually smooth (sometimes scabrous in E. funerea).
→ 3
3. Terminal buds spinelike; leaf bases shredding with age; cone bracts reddish brown.
E. trifurca
3. Terminal buds acute at apex; leaf bases persistent or completely deciduous; cone bracts yellow, green-yellow, or orange-yellow.
→ 4
4. Leaf bases deciduous; twigs yellow-green; cone bracts as broad as long; seeds nearly globose.
E. californica
4. Leaf bases persistent, forming a black, thickened collar; twigs gray-green; cone bracts longer than broad; seeds ellipsoid.
E. funerea
5. Branches lax, vinelike, trailing or clambering; microsporangial stalks 1-2 mm.
E. pedunculata
5. Branches rigid; microsporangial stalks less than 1 mm.
→ 6
6. Twigs viscid.
E. cutleri
6. Twigs not viscid.
→ 7
7. Leaf bases persistent, forming a black, thickened collar; nodes obviously swollen; seeds 2.
→ 8
7. Leaf bases completely deciduous or becoming gray and shredded with age; nodes not or only inconspicuously swollen; seeds 1-2.
→ 9
8. Twigs with smooth ridges; seed cones sessile or on short, scaly peduncles, inner bracts membranous, with yellow center and base.
E. viridis
8. Twigs with slightly scabrous ridges; seed cones usually on long, smooth peduncles, inner bracts fleshy (at least in center) and orange.
E. coryi
9. Leaf bases completely deciduous, brown when shed; seeds 1-2.
→ 10
9. Leaf bases persistent and shredding, brown, becoming gray with age; seed 1.
→ 11
10. Bracts of pollen cones yellow to light brown; inner bracts of seed cones herbaceous; seeds (1-)2.
E. nevadensis
10. Bracts of pollen cones pale green to red; inner bracts of seed cones fleshy and red; seeds 1(-2).
E. antisyphilitica
11. Twigs usually scabrous; bracts of pollen cones yellow to red-brown; seeds smooth to slightly scabrous.
E. aspera
11. Twigs smooth or very slightly scabrous; bracts of pollen cones light yellow; seeds furrowed.
E. fasciculata
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Ephedraceae > Ephedra Ephedraceae
Sibling taxa
E. antisyphilitica, E. aspera, E. californica, E. coryi, E. cutleri, E. fasciculata, E. funerea, E. nevadensis, E. pedunculata, E. trifurca, E. viridis
Subordinate taxa
E. antisyphilitica, E. aspera, E. californica, E. coryi, E. cutleri, E. fasciculata, E. funerea, E. nevadensis, E. pedunculata, E. torreyana, E. trifurca, E. viridis
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 299. (1879) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1040. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 462, (1754)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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