Scientific Family
Ephedraceae
Other common names
green ephedra
joint fir
Plant type
Shrubs
Riparian
No
Plant Description
Origin
Native
Similar species
<i>E. viridis, E. nevadenis</i>
Medium size shrub which looks like a thicket of green, jointed, leafless branches.
Shrub with opposite awl shaped leaves and opposite, rigid evergreen stems; leaves drop early leaving a broom-like shrub; stems upright, thin, stiff, green aging to yellowish-green. Fruit red, fleshy.
Height
Less than 6 feet
Width
2 to 5 feet
Habitat
Habitat description
Dry rocky slopes and canyon walls. Usually in sandy and/or rocky soils.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
7000
Leaves
Leaf color
Brown
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Other
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Leaf Drop
Semi-evergreen
Leaves are reduced to small brown scales and no longer functional; photosynthesis is accomplished in the stems. There are 2 or 3 scale-like leaves per node, that turn black and persist on the plant.
Flowers
Tubular
No
First bloom month
0
Last bloom month
0
Gymnosperm, not a flowering plant.
Fruit
Fruit color
Brown
Fruit type
Cone or cone-like
1 to 3 seeds per cone. Seed shape is dependent on how many seeds are contained in the cone.