Ephedra fasciculata

A.Nelson (1934)

Common names

Fasciculate ephedra (Stevenson 1993).

Taxonomic notes

Syn: Ephedra clokeyi H.C. Cutler; E. fasciculata A. Nelson var. clokeyi (Cutler) Clokey (Stevenson 1993). Type locality "in the hot dry banks of a sandy wash, in low hills near Phoenix, Arizona, May 1, 1925," where collected by Nelson (Nelson 1934).

Description

"Shrubs erect or prostrate, 0.5-1 m. Bark gray, cracked and fissured. Branches opposite or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 30°. Twigs pale green, becoming yellow with age, not viscid, usually smooth or very slightly scabrous, with numerous longitudinal grooves; internodes 1-5 cm. Terminal buds conic, 1-3 mm, apex obtuse. Leaves opposite, 1-3 mm, connate to 1/2-3/4 their length; bases membranous, brown, shredding and becoming gray with age, ± persistent; apex obtuse. Pollen cones 2-several at node, ellipsoid to obovoid, 4-8 mm, sessile; bracts opposite, 4-8 pairs, light yellow, obovate, 2-3 × 2 mm, membranous, slightly connate at base; bracteoles exceeding bracts; sporangiophores 3-9 mm, 1/4-3/4 exserted, with 6-10 sessile to short-stalked (less than 1 mm) microsporangia. Seed cones 2-several at node, obovoid to ellipsoid, 6-13 mm, sessile or on short peduncles; bracts opposite, 4-7 pairs, elliptic, 3-7 × 2-4 mm, membranous with light brown to green, thickened center and base, slightly connate at base, margins entire. Seeds 1(-2), ellipsoid, 5-12 × 3-5 mm, light brown, longitudinally furrowed. ... Coning March-April" (Stevenson 1993).

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

Distribution and Ecology

USA: California, Arizona, Nevada & Utah at 300-1200 m on dry rocky slopes, washes, and sandy areas (Stevenson 1993).

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Ethnobotany

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Observations

See the observations on iNaturalist, accessed 2021.12.30.

Remarks

The epithet refers to the close bunching of the twigs, a distinctive character reported by Nelson (1934).

Citations

Nelson, A. 1934. Rocky Mountain Herbarium Studies II. American Journal of Botany 21:573-582 (p. 573). Available: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1537-2197.1934.tb04984.x, accessed 2021.12.31.

See also

Species profile at Plants of the World Online, accessed 2021.12.30.