Ephedra trifurca

Torrey ex S. Watson 1871

Common names

Mexican-tea (Stevenson 1993), longleaf joint fir, popotilla, teposote, canatilla (Jaeger 1969).

Taxonomic notes

Syn. Ephedra trifaria Parl.; E. intermixta H.C.Cutler. The hybrid Ephedra × intermixta H.C. Cutler is discussed under E. torreyana.

Description

"Shrubs erect, 0.5-5 m. Bark gray, cracked and irregularly fissured. Branches alternate or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 30°. Twigs pale green, becoming yellow, then gray with age, glaucous, with numerous very fine longitudinal grooves; internodes 3-10 cm. Terminal buds spinelike, to 10 mm. Leaves in whorls of 3, 5-15 mm, connate to 1/2-3/4 their length; bases becoming gray and shredded with age; apex spinose. Pollen cones 1-several at node, obovoid, 6-10 mm, on short, scaly peduncles; bracts in 8-12 whorls of 3, reddish brown, obovate, slightly clawed, 3-4 × 2-3 mm, membranous; bracteoles nearly equaling bracts; sporangiophores 4-5 mm, exserted to 1/4 their length, with 4-5 short-stalked microsporangia. Seed cones 1-several at node, obovoid, 10-15 mm, on short, scaly peduncles (rarely sessile); bracts in 6-9 whorls of 3, circular, 8-12 × 8-12 mm, papery, translucent with reddish brown center and base, base clawed, margins entire. Seeds 1(-3), ellipsoid, 8-15 × 1.5-3 mm, light brown, smooth. Coning late winter-early spring" (Stevenson 1993).

Stevenson (1993) provides this Key to the North American species of Ephedra.

Distribution and Ecology

USA: California, Arizona, New Mexico & Texas; Mexico: Baja California Norte, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora (Stevenson 1993). Found on "[d]ry rocky slopes to flat sandy areas; 500-2000 m." (Stevenson 1993).

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2023.03.03.

Ethnobotany

Observations

See the observations on iNaturalist, accessed 2021.12.31.

Jaeger (1969) indicates it is rare, at least in the western part of its range, but may be found in the Superstition Mountains (AZ) and Los Algodones dunes (near Yuma, AZ).

Remarks

The epithet is Latin for "in three forks", because the branches, the sheathing leaves, and the pollen and seed cones all appear in whorls of three (Watson 1871).

Citations

Watson, Sereno. 1871. United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel. Botany. Washington: Government Printing Office, p. 329. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2021.12.28.

See also

Species profile at Plants of the World Online, accessed 2021.12.31.

Land, W. J. G. 1907. Fertilization and embryogeny in Ephedra trifurca. Botanical Gazette 44:273-292.