Long-leaf Joint-Fir
Mormon Tea
Ephedra trifurca
Sketched from live specimen.
The swellings in the stems are galls caused by
the feeding activity of minute larvae of a gall midge, Asphondylia sp.
At lower left is a detail view of a cone scale.
CONES: This is a conifer and so seeds and pollen are borne in cones and
in this case on separate plants. The male cones are up to
1 cm and the female seed cones are usu. longer than
1 cm. Cones may be absent for extended periods due to drought.
LEAVES: Three needle-like leaves at each node with rather sharp tips.
There are also some persistent fibers around and below the leaves.
RANGE: Common locally on creosote desert flats in the Sonoran Desert
from southeastern California and ranging eastward into similar habitat in the
Chihuahuan Desert.
SHRUB: Woody shrub usually well under 2
meters tall, however under ideal conditions this plant can reach
tree-size (see photos below). It can also take on a sprawling habit on sand dune habitat. Jointed stems are green and photosynthetic.
ARMED. The leaves and stems have variously sharp tips.
Ephedraceae -- Joint Fir Family
More Information:
- Southwest Environmental Information Network
- USDA Plant Profile
- ITIS Taxanomic Report
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search
In sandy desert of far northwestern Sonora, Mexico. 25 Jan. 2015. Sand frequently mounds up under these low scrambling shrubs.
When tree-sized the bark becomes fibrous and deeply furrowed. Observed within the dry riverbed of the Hassayampa near Palo Verde, Maricopa Co., Arizona, Aug. 2010.
This desert tree growing in the dry riverbed of the Hassayampa near Palo Verde, Maricopa Co., Arizona, was about 5m tall. Aug. 2010.