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.
Ranges eastward into similar habitat in the Chihuahuan Desert.
SHRUB: Woody shrub mostly well under 2
meters tall. Jointed stems are green and photosynthetic.
ARMED. The leaves and stems have variously sharp tips.