Ephedrales

Young female plant in full cone, with many erect, jointed, spine tipped branches with much reduced leaves in sheathed whorls of 3 at the node.Though reduced, the slender, persistent, awn-like leaves are are still the longest, most noticeable, among other southwestern Ephedra. Plant at base of west facing hillside of clayish silts overlain by mixed coarse rhyolite gravels

Young female plant in full cone, with many erect, jointed, spine tipped branches with much reduced leaves in sheathed whorls of 3 at the node.Though reduced, the slender, persistent, awn-like leaves are are still the longest, most noticeable, among other southwestern Ephedra. Plant at base of west facing hillside of clayish silts overlain by mixed coarse rhyolite gravels

Young female plant in full seed cones of reddish papery bracts in whorls of 3, at base of west facing hillside of clayish silts overlain by mixed coarse rhyolite gravels

Young female plant in full seed cones of reddish papery bracts in whorls of 3, at base of west facing hillside of clayish silts overlain by mixed coarse rhyolite gravels

female seed cones encircled by reddish papery bracts in whorls of 3. Plant at base of west facing hillside of clayish silts overlain by mixed coarse rhyolite gravels

female seed cones encircled by reddish papery bracts in whorls of 3. Plant at base of west facing hillside of clayish silts overlain by mixed coarse rhyolite gravels

Distinctive sheath of awn-like leaf scales at branch node. Plant at base of west facing hillside of clayish silts overlain by mixed coarse rhyolite gravels

evergreen shrub in semi-stabilized sand hummocks on the bolson plain. View of one of the small spinous leaves that encircle the stems in nodal rings of 3. The scale-like leaves, though small, are noticeably longer and persistent which serves to distinguish this species.

Male cone

Looking north from point near Panorama point in Panorama Hills. Shows herb-shrub type charcterized by Ephedra californica., T 31 S R 21 E Sec 34 Quad name: McKittrick. Quad number: 134. Reference to map: 6.