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Vine Ephedra
Ephedra Family : Ephedraceae
Latin Name : Ephedra antisyphilitica
Longevity : Perennial
Season : Evergreen
Origin : Native
Value : Wildlife – good
Livestock -good
Remarks :
Other common names, "Joint-fir", "Mormon tea",
"Erect ephedra" and "Clapweed". An interesting,
peculiar evergreen shrub. These plants have many
jointed, slender green stems about half the size of a
pencil and no discernable leaves; the stems carry on
photosynthesis. Height 3 to 4 feet, width 3 to 6 feet.
Blooms in the spring, the flowers are tiny cones,
with male and female on separate plants; the fruit
has a solitary seed. Ephedra is readily grazed by
both deer and cattle. This plant has been used in
domestic medicine for treatment of syphilis. This
plant is very drought tolerant and requires full sun
and well drained soils on dry gravelly plains, rocky
hillsides, old field sand pastures, and calcareous
slopes.
Source: USDA-NRCS
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