The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California

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    AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY
  • Up-to-date information about California vascular plants is available from the Jepson eFlora.

Names are linked to treatments from the Manual


Key to EPHEDRA

N.B.: couplets are linked, e.g., 1. is linked to 1'.

  1. Leaves generally 3 per node
 
    2. Twig tip thorn-like; leaf sheath fibrous, persistent
 E. trifurca
    2' Twig tip narrowed but not thorn-like; leaf sheath not fibrous, not persistent
 
      3. Seed not or faintly angled; twig yellow-green when young; leaf base recurved, thickened when old
 E. californica
      3' Seed clearly angled at top; twig gray-green when young; leaf base not recurved, not thickened when old
 E. funerea
  1' Leaves generally 2 per node
 
    4. Leaves deciduous except bases generally persistent; seeds generally 2
 
      5. Twig pale green, glaucous when young; leaf base gray; seed cone stalk 1–5 mm
 E. nevadensis
      5' Twig bright green to yellow-green when young; leaf base brown; seed cone sessile or stalk < 5 mm
 E. viridis
    4' Leaves persistent; seed generally 1
 
      6. Seed generally smooth
 E. aspera
      6' Seed furrowed
 E. fasciculata
        7. Seed < 8 mm
 var. clokeyi
        7' Seed > 8 mm
 var. fasciculata

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