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Ephedra aspera

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Eric Yarnell (talk | contribs) at 17:28, 9 February 2019 (Removed completely erroneous Distribution and Uses section; this species is not found in Asia, does not contain ephedrine alkaloids of concern, and is not regulated by the FDA or a concern in this regard (seems to have been confused with Ephedra sinica and related Asian species).). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Ephedra aspera
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Gnetophyta
Class: Gnetopsida
Order: Ephedrales
Family: Ephedraceae
Genus: Ephedra
Species:
E. aspera
Binomial name
Ephedra aspera
Synonyms[1]
  • Ephedra nevadensis var. aspera (Engelm. ex S.Watson) L.D.Benson
  • Ephedra peninsularis I.M.Johnst.
  • Ephedra reedii Cory

Ephedra aspera is a species of Ephedra known by the common names rough jointfir, boundary ephedra, and pitamoreal. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Texas and parts of northern Mexico as far south as Zacatecas.[1][2] It is a resident of varied woodland and scrub plant communities.[3]

Description

Ephedra aspera is a highly branched shrub often exceeding 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height made up of many long yellow-gold twigs. Its small leaves are just a few millimeters long. Male plants bear pollen cones 4 to 7 millimeters long. Female plants may be darker to reddish in color, bearing seed cones which are slightly larger than those of the male plant and contain only one seed each.[4]

Shrubs are 0.5--1.5 m in length. Bark is gray, cracked and fissured. Branches are opposite or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence is about 30°. Twigs are pale to dark green, becoming yellow with age, not viscid, slightly to strongly scabrous, with numerous longitudinal grooves; internodes are 1--6 cm in length. Terminal buds conic, 1--2 mm, apex obtuse. 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.

References

  1. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Biota of North America Program, 2013 county distribution map
  3. ^ Jepson Manual Treatment: Ephedra aspera
  4. ^ Flora of North America

Media related to Ephedra aspera at Wikimedia Commons

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