Class Il. GYMNOSPERMS. 
Those in which the ovules are naked upon the surface of a scale or 
bract, or within a more or less open perianth: flowers moneecious or 
dicecious, 
GNETACEZ. 
Shrubs or small trees, mostly with jointed opposite or fascicled 
branches and foliaceous or scale-like opposite (or ternate) exstipulate 
leaves, mostly dicecious flowers with decussate persistent bracts; stam- 
inate in aments, with solitary or monadelphous stamens within a mem- 
branous bifid calyx-like perianth, the anther-cells dehiscent by a-pore 
or chink at apex; fertile consisting of an erect sessile ovule terminated 
by an exserted style-like process, included within a perianth which 
becomes hardened and often thickened in fruit. 
1. EPHEDRA L. 
Shrubs, with numerous Equisetuin-like branches, persistent or decid- 
uous leaves reduced to scales connate into. sheaths, axillary inflores- 
cence, 3 to 8 filaments united into a clavate stamineal column, 2-celled 
anthers, and the fertile perianth hardening and 3 or 4-angled in fruit. 
* Scales binate: branches (not spinose) opposite: bracts opposite, connate, scarious only 
on margin: fruit smooth, solitary or in pairs. 
1. E. Nevadensis Watson. Erect, 6 dm, or more high, with erect or spreading 
branches: scales sheathing, with short blunt lobes or more or less elongated tips: 
staminate aments sessile or short-pedunculate, ovate, of 4 to 6 pairs of bracts: 
fertile aments pedunculate, with 4 or 5 pairs of round ovate bracts: fruit exserted 
acute, (E£. antisyphilitica Watson, not Meyer.)—From the Rio Grande to central 
Texas. 
2. BE. antisyphilitica Meyer. Stems very weak (24 to 30 dm. long), nearly pros- 
trate or supported by other shrubs, with very short or setaceously tipped distinct 
subpersistent scales: peduncles very short: staminate bracts 4 to 6 pairs: filaments 
distinct above.—Along the upper Rio Grande, from the Great Bend to El Paso. 
3. E. pedunculata Engelm. Stems slender and clongated (18 to 30 dm, long), 
climbing over surrounding bushes: leaves and {ruit-scales in pairs, the latter more 
or less connate and becoming at length fleshy and forming a red edible pedunculate 
fruit.—Uvalde. 
** Scales ternate: branches ternate: bracts in threes and scarcely connate, the pistillate 
mostly scarious and more or less clawed: fruit solitary, rarely in threes. 
4, E. trifurca Torr. Erect, with spinosely tipped branches and conspicuous per- 
sistent sheathing acuminate scales (6 to 12 mm. long) becoming white and shreddy 
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