Gray Ephedra

Shrubs erect, 0.25--1.5 m. Bark gray, fissured. Branches alternate or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 45°. Twigs pale green, becoming yellow with age, not viscid, glaucous, with numerous longitudinal grooves; internodes 1--6 cm. Terminal buds conic, 1--3 mm, apex obtuse. Leaves opposite (rarely in whorls of 3), 2--4(--8) mm, connate to 1/2--3/4 their length; bases thickened, brown, completely deciduous; apex obtuse. Pollen cones 1--several at node, ellipsoid, 4--8 mm, sessile or on short peduncles with 2 pairs of basal bracts; bracts opposite, 5--9 pairs, yellow to light brown, obovate, 3--4 × 2--3 mm, membranous; bracteoles slightly exceeding bracts; sporangiophores 3--5 mm, exserted to 1/4--1/2 their length, with 6--9 sessile to short-stalked (less than 1 mm) microsporangia. Seed cones 1--several at node, nearly globose, 5--11 mm, on long peduncles, with 1--2 pairs of basal bracts; bracts opposite, 3--5 pairs, nearly circular, 4--8 × 3--6 mm, herbaceous, with light brown to yellow-green center, occasionally pinkish tinged, margins entire. Seeds (1--)2, ellipsoid, 6--9 × 2--4 mm, brown, smooth. 2 n = 14, 28.

Ariz., Calif., Nev., Oreg., Utah.

Coning late winter--midspring. Dry, rocky slopes and hills, rarely in sandy flat areas; 700--1900m.

Ephedra antisyphilitica S. Watson 1871, not Berlandier ex C. A. Meyer 1846; E. antisyphilitica S. Watson var. pedunculata S. Watson; E. nevadensis subvar. paucibracteata Stapf

More info for the term: wildfire

Following a June wildfire, unburned transects in an Arizona study had approximately 40 Nevada jointfir plants per hectare, while adjacent burned transects had 0 plants at postfire year 1 and only 5 plants/ha at postfire year 2. Total Nevada jointfir mortality was 76%; 84% of plants were top-killed with 9% sprouting after fire [43].

Nevada jointfir

gray ephedra

Nevada ephedra

Mormon-tea

Mormon tea

More info for the terms: seed, shrub

The following description of Nevada jointfir provides characteristics that may be relevant to fire ecology, and is not meant for identification. Keys for identification are available (e.g. [32,33,77]).

Nevada jointfir is a native erect, spreading shrub that reaches 1 to 4 feet (0.3-1.2 m) tall [9,50,59,77]. It is essentially aphyllous with jointed [1,9,9,50,50,77], evergreen stems [83]. The thick, woody roots can grow to 6.5 feet (2 m) deep [41,83], and may spread laterally and produce clones [41].

Ephedra spp. are gymnosperms. Stamens bear 1 to 8 pollen sacs, and 1 to 2 ovules are exposed at the tips of small, scaly cones. After pollination, these ovules develop directly into seed [50]. The male cones are 0.16 to 0.3 inch (4-8 mm) long, while female cones are 0.2 to 0.4 inch (5-11 mm) long. Seeds are 0.16 to 0.35 inch (4-9 mm) long [77] and occur singly or in pairs [16,73].

A study of replicated photographs in Arizona estimates that Ephedra spp. can survive over 100 years (80-95% of 3 different populations survived from the late 1800s to 1994) [11]; however, the study did not specifically document the longevity of Nevada jointfir.

Nevada jointfir occurs in the West, from southeastern Oregon south to Baja California Norte, Mexico, and east to eastern Utah and Arizona [27,31,32,48,50]. Distribution of Nevada jointfir in the United States. Map courtesy of USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC [2018, July 6] [74].

More info for the terms: cover, fire regime, fuel, grassland, mixed-severity fire, mixed-severity fire regime, severity, shrub, stand-replacement fire

Fire adaptations: Nevada jointfir generally sprouts after fire damages aboveground vegetation [76,78,84]. However, severe fires may kill shallowly buried regenerative structures [43,82].

FIRE REGIMES: Most plant communities in which Nevada jointfir commonly occurs historically experienced stand-replacement FIRE REGIMES. Sagebrush types historically had fire intervals from 20 to 70 years, while other desert shrub types and desert grassland communities had fire intervals of <35 to <100 years [54]. Fires may not carry on some Nevada jointfir sites due to insufficient fuels. Periods of above normal precipitation can contribute to increased stand flammability by promoting the growth of annuals [43]. Pinyon-juniper communities are subject to a mixed-severity fire regime, with fire intervals <35 years or 400+ years [21,24,35,54]. On less productive sites with discontinuous grass cover, fires are less frequent and small. On sites where grass cover is more continuous, fires are likely more frequent and extensive. Stage of stand development also contributes to fire susceptibility and severity. Young open stands may have sufficient understory fuel to carry fire, but as stands mature this cover becomes sparse. The trees may remain too widely spaced to carry crown fire, except under extreme conditions [54].

Some sagebrush and desert shrub ecosystems are experiencing changes in fire regime, particularly in response to invasion by annual grasses such as red brome (Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens) and cheatgrass (B. tectorum). Cheatgrass expansion has dramatically changed FIRE REGIMES and plant communities over vast areas of western rangelands by creating an environment where fires are easily ignited, spread rapidly, cover large areas, and occur frequently [85]. Cheatgrass promotes frequent fires by increasing the biomass and horizontal continuity of fine fuels that persist during the summer lightning season and by allowing fire to spread across landscapes where fire was previously restricted to isolated patches [37,69,85].

Fire return intervals for plant communities and ecosystems in which Nevada jointfir occurs are summarized below. Find further fire regime information for the plant communities in which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".

Community or Ecosystem Dominant Species Fire Return Interval Range (years) California chaparral Adenostoma and/or Arctostaphylos spp. 54] basin big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata 12-43 [62] mountain big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana 15-40 [4,14,46] Wyoming big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. wyomingensis 10-70 (40**) [75,86] coastal sagebrush Artemisia californica < 35 to < 100 saltbush-greasewood Atriplex confertifolia-Sarcobatus vermiculatus < 35 to < 100 desert grasslands Bouteloua eriopoda and/or Pleuraphis mutica 5-100 grama-galleta steppe Bouteloua gracilis-Pleuraphis jamesii 54] cheatgrass Bromus tectorum 56,80] curlleaf mountain-mahogany* Cercocarpus ledifolius 13-1,000 [5,63] mountain-mahogany-Gambel oak scrub Cercocarpus ledifolius-Quercus gambelii < 35 to < 100 blackbrush Coleogyne ramosissima < 35 to < 100 western juniper Juniperus occidentalis 20-70 Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum < 35 creosotebush Larrea tridentata < 35 to < 100 pinyon-juniper Pinus-Juniperus spp. 54] Mexican pinyon Pinus cembroides 20-70 [49,71] Colorado pinyon Pinus edulis 10-400+ [21,24,35,54] galleta-threeawn shrubsteppe Pleuraphis jamesii-Aristida purpurea 54] mesquite Prosopis glandulosa 44,54] *fire return interval varies widely; trends in variation are noted in the species review
**mean

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

RAUNKIAER [60] LIFE FORM:
Phanerophyte

Nevada jointfir grows at elevations ranging from 2,000 to 7,000 feet (610-2,150 m) elevation [59,77], most commonly on dry slopes and hills below 4,430 feet (1,350 m) [9]. The following table lists elevation ranges for some areas within Nevada jointfir's range:

Baja California 3,900-4,200 feet (1,190-1,280 m) [48] Great Basin 2,790-7,050 feet (850-2,150 m) [77] California <3,600 feet (1,100 m) [27] Nevada 2,500-6,000 feet (760-1,830 m) [12,32] Utah 4,000-6,000 feet (1,220-1,830 m) [18]

Nevada jointfir is commonly found on ridgetops as well as upper and lower slope positions. It also grows well in floodplain areas. Nevada jointfir is associated with shallow, rocky soils (to 2 feet (0.6 m) deep) [13], often limestone-derived [26]. Nevada jointfir has a high saline tolerance [59] and is common on the margins of salt deserts [9]. However, it has no tolerance for acidity [59]. Nevada jointfir is drought tolerant [28] and requires approximately 7 inches (178 mm) annual precipitation [59].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

More info for the term: cover

SAF COVER TYPES [19]:





220 Rocky Mountain juniper

238 Western juniper

239 Pinyon-juniper

242 Mesquite

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

ECOSYSTEMS [23]:





FRES29 Sagebrush

FRES30 Desert shrub

FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe

FRES34 Chaparral-mountain shrub

FRES35 Pinyon-juniper

FRES40 Desert grasslands

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: shrub, woodland

KUCHLER [38] PLANT ASSOCIATIONS:





K023 Juniper-pinyon woodland

K033 Chaparral

K038 Great Basin sagebrush

K039 Blackbrush

K040 Saltbush-greasewood

K041 Creosote bush

K042 Creosote bush-bur sage

K043 Paloverde-cactus shrub

K044 Creosote bush-tarbush

K053 Grama-galleta steppe

K057 Galleta-threeawn shrubsteppe

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This species is known to occur in association with the following Rangeland Cover Types (as classified by the Society for Range Management, SRM):

More info for the terms: cover, shrub, woodland

SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES [65]:




105 Antelope bitterbrush-Idaho fescue

107 Western juniper/big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass

206 Chamise chaparral

210 Bitterbrush

211 Creosote bush scrub

212 Blackbush

401 Basin big sagebrush

402 Mountain big sagebrush

403 Wyoming big sagebrush

405 Black sagebrush

406 Low sagebrush

408 Other sagebrush types

412 Juniper-pinyon woodland

414 Salt desert shrub

415 Curlleaf mountain-mahogany

416 True mountain-mahogany

417 Littleleaf mountain-mahogany

501 Saltbush-greasewood

502 Grama-galleta

503 Arizona chaparral

504 Juniper-pinyon pine woodland

505 Grama-tobosa shrub

506 Creosotebush-bursage

507 Palo verde-cactus

508 Creosotebush-tarbush

Nevada jointfir is top-killed by fire [43,78]. Underground regenerative structures commonly survive when aboveground vegetation is consumed by fire [78]. When subject to severe fire, however, Nevada jointfir may be killed [66,82].

More info for the term: cover

Mule deer [39], bighorn sheep [12], and pronghorn browse Nevada jointfir, especially in spring and late summer when new growth is available [7]. It is browsed by domestic livestock also [25,57,81]. Nevada jointfir is important winter range browse for domestic cattle, sheep, goats, and mule deer, with up to 50% of stems utilized in some localities [17,61,73]. Its value as winter forage is due to the large number of twigs produced and the relative abundance of this species on winter range [17]. Nevada jointfir is browsed to a lesser extent in the other seasons [17,61,73].

Nevada jointfir seeds provide food for small mammals and birds [45].

Palatability/nutritional value: Nevada jointfir has been rated as fair forage for domestic sheep, cattle, goats and horses; it also provides fair forage for pronghorn, mule deer, small nongame birds, and upland game birds [18,30,61]. It has been rated poor forage for elk and waterfowl, but good for small mammals [18]. Tests of Nevada jointfir in pregnant domestic sheep showed no maternal or embryo/fetal toxicity [34].

Specific nutrient content varies according to plant part, phenological development, and site characteristics. Nutrient composition for Nevada jointfir sampled in Nevada is as follows [76].

Element

-------- Date sampled ---------

Feb. 11 March 17 April 4 May 21 June 19 July 29 Sept. 24 Dec. 31 -------------------percent dry weight------------------- P 0.06 0.09 0.12 0.08 0.08 0.05 0.04 0.07 Na 0.003 0.007 0.012 0.007 0.006 0.008 0.007 0.009 K 0.25 0.31 0.86 1.80 2.26 1.45 0.91 0.61 Ca 2.43 2.21 2.65 1.02 1.41 1.72 2.37 2.37 Mg 0.18 0.30 0.34 0.17 0.20 0.18 0.21 0.19 Si 0.04 0.07 0.12 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.10 0.11 -------------- ppm -------------- Zn 23 19 17 20 21 24 22 27 Cu 14 10 5 20 14 12 19 14 Fe 101 142 143 186 161 248 240 121 Mn 77 136 149 13 17 26 38 47 B 14 12 22 18 12 9 10 16 Al 82 134 167 145 149 184 188 152 Sr 82 97 67 50 66 91 96 52 Be 45 24 30 11 12 13 18 33

The National Academy of Sciences lists the following values for Nevada jointfir samples (% dry matter): calcium 5.81%, magnesium 1.28%, and phosphorus 0.50% [51].

Cover value: Nevada jointfir provides good cover for small mammals; fair cover for pronghorn, small nongame birds, and upland game birds; and poor cover for game animals and waterfowl [18].

More info for the terms: shrub, tree, woodland

Nevada jointfir grows abundantly at the edge of the salt desert zone [9],
but is also common in a variety of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), desert shrub, and pinyon-juniper
(Pinus-Juniperus spp.) communities [13,47,66]. It generally grows
as scattered plants or in small clumps but also occurs in isolated, large, pure
stands [66].

In California, common associates of Nevada jointfir in singleleaf pinyon-California juniper/western
juniper (Pinus monophylla-Juniperus californica/J. occidentalis)
woodland include California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), rubber
rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), antelope bitterbrush (Purshia
tridentata), green ephedra (E. viridis), desert almond (Prunus fasciculata),
peach thorn (Lycium cooperi), Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia),
and Mojave yucca (Y. schidigera) [47]. In desert chaparral
communities, Nevada jointfir commonly occurs with chamise (Adenostoma
fasciculatum), red shank (A. sparsifolium), jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis),
California juniper,
and  Mojave yucca [48]. Other common associates are
mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus spp.), saltbush (Atriplex spp.),
creosotebush (Larrea tridentata), and prickly-pear (Opuntia spp.)
[13,66].

In Nevada, Nevada jointfir may codominate with Colorado pinyon (Pinus edulis) [79],
spiny hopsage (Grayia spinosa), spiny menodora (Menodora spinescens), winterfat
(Krascheninnikovia lanata), or
eastern Mojave buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) [26,52].
In Utah, it may codominate with
winterfat, Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides), blue grama (Bouteloua
gracilis), or galleta (Pleuraphis jamesii) [36]. Nevada jointfir is particularly common as a
community dominant in the transition zone between the Mojave and
Great Basin deserts [26].

West and others [79]  classify Nevada jointfir as a plant community dominant in Nevada.

More info for the term: shrub

Shrub

Atrazine may be effective in
controlling Nevada jointfir, though some plants can survive through crown
sprouting. Irrigation may increase control by atrazine [29].

Native Americans used Nevada jointfir as a tea to treat stomach and kidney ailments [8,17].

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More info for the terms: cone, seed

In a southern Nevada study, Nevada jointfir seeds germinated between October and March [2]. Seedlings emerge February through June [28].

Nevada jointfir leafs out in early to late spring and in September after summer rains [1,3]. It forms buds in early spring, and cones open from March through May [1,3,9,41,72], though lack of available soil moisture may inhibit cone production [3]. Seed matures in early summer [1,3,9,72]. Nevada jointfir is physiologically inactive during hot summer months [1,3].

More info for the terms: cover, seed, wildfire

Nevada jointfir may increase after fire due to sprouting [6,78]. Following a wildfire in California (30 years), Nevada jointfir increased from 5% to 11% of plant cover [6]. To date (2004), no information is available on methods of postfire seed dispersal and seedling establishment for Nevada jointfir. More research on postfire regeneration strategies is needed.

More info for the terms: adventitious, initial off-site colonizer, secondary colonizer, seed, shrub

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [70]:
Small shrub, adventitious bud/root crown
Initial off-site colonizer (off-site, initial community)
Secondary colonizer (on-site or off-site seed sources)

More info for the terms: dioecious, seed

Nevada jointfir regenerates vegetatively [41] and by seed [77].

Breeding system: Nevada jointfir is primarily dioecious with small cones [17,66].

Pollination: Ephedra pollen is wind-distributed [50].

Seed production: Nevada jointfir produces large quantities of small seeds at erratic intervals [16,58,76].

Seed dispersal: Seeds are dispersed by small mammals and deposited in shallowly buried caches [45].

Seed banking: No information is available on this topic.

Germination: Germination requires 21 days prechill at 37 to 41 oF (3-5  oC), with germination most successful at 68  oF (20  oC). Average germination under these conditions ranges from  80%-100%. Other effective germination temperatures are 41, 50, 59  oF (5, 10, 15  oC) constant and 68/77  oF (20/25  oC) alternating [9,87].

After 15 years of warehouse storage, germination rates of Nevada jointfir seeds did not decrease appreciably; rates remained above 85% [68]. Nevada jointfir germination rates were >85% during the1st 10 years of storage in an open, unheated, uncooled warehouse, with rates only decreasing to 77% after 25 years of storage [67]. In another study, however, seed storage for 12 months at room temperature substantially reduced germination (from 65%-75% to 15%-20%) [87].

Seedling establishment/growth: No information is available on this topic.

Asexual regeneration: Manning and Groeneveld [41] describe a Nevada jointfir community in California in which clones are produced from lateral roots. Others describe crown sprouting of Nevada jointfir in response to herbicides [29].

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS [10]:





4 Sierra Mountains

5 Columbia Plateau

6 Upper Basin and Range

7 Lower Basin and Range

11 Southern Rocky Mountains

12 Colorado Plateau

(key to state/province abbreviations)
UNITED STATES AZ CA NV OR UT
MEXICO B.C.N.

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Nevada jointfir occurs in recently disturbed (6-12 years post-disturbance) and undisturbed desert communities [22,53].

The scientific name of Nevada jointfir is Ephedra nevadensis
S. Wats. (Ephedraceae) [20,27,31,32,33,77].

More info for the term: seed

Nevada jointfir is useful for erosion control [59], and seedlings have been successfully planted onto reclaimed strip mines, with survival ranging from 12 to 94% [40,64]. Nevada jointfir seeds are commercially available [42,59]. For enhanced seed germination, a 24 hour soak at 86  oF (30  oC) is recommended prior to prechill [9]. For additional information on germination of Nevada jointfir, see Botanical and Ecological Characteristics.

Nevada jointfir is easily propagated in the nursery or greenhouse, but root and shoot systems of the seedlings are fragile and easily damaged during transplanting [64]. A study of transplanted Nevada jointfir found heavy mortality, with only 10% of plants surviving after 6 years and  none surviving to 12 years [55]. Other efforts have resulted in successful transplanting of container stock, with 67% survival after 5 years on irrigated plots and 100% survival on nonirrigated plots [15]. Seedlings are drought tolerant and generally establish well after fall or winter plantings [58].

Shrub, Evergreen, Dioecious, Habit erect, Trees without or rarely having knees, Primary plant stem smooth, Young shoots 3-dimensional, Buds not resinous, Leaves scale-like, Leaves opposite, Leaves mostly not photosynthetic, Non-needle-like leaf margins entire, Leaf apex acute, Leaf apex mucronulate, Leaves < 5 cm long, Leaves < 10 cm long, Leaves yellow-green above, Leaves yellow-green below, Leaves yellow below, Leaves grey-green, Leaves not blue-green, Leaf bases deciduous, Scale leaves without raised glands, Scale leaf glands not ruptured, Scales leaves not or barely overlapping, Twigs glabrous, Twigs not viscid, Twigs without peg-like projections or large fascicles after needles fall, Berry-like cones copper, Bracts of seed cone included, Seeds brown, Seeds wingless.

Ephedra nevadensis, commonly known as Nevada ephedra, gray ephedra, Mormon tea and Nevada jointfir, is a species of gymnosperm native to dry areas of western North America.

Its range extends west to California and Oregon, east to Texas, and south to Baja California, including areas of the Great Basin, Colorado plateau and desert Southwest. It is found in rocky and sandy soils, generally in areas without trees.