JOINTFIRS 1 



E'phedra spp. 3 



B73 

 (2 leaves) 



Flowers small, of 2 kinds: male (stam- 

 inate) and female (pistillate), borne in 

 groups (catkins, or aments) at the 

 stem joints and usually on separate 

 plants (dioecious) 



Male' flowers pollen-producing, 'each 

 with 2 to 8 stamens united by their 

 stalks (filaments) and protruding be- 

 yond their (usually 2) united bracts 

 (perianth); each pair of bracts usually 

 at right angles to pair immediately 

 above and below in same catkin 



Female flowers seed-producing, soli- 

 tary or 1 pair in the end 2 bracts of 

 each female cation. 



"Seeds" (nutlets) solitary or in pairs, 

 hardening, enlarging, and protruding 

 from end of female catkin when mature 



Leaves opposite or whorled at stem 

 joints, reduced to small, papery, often 

 brownish, clasping scales 



I Twigs opposite or clustered at stem 

 joints, rushiike, jointed, slender, round, 

 minutely, channeled, light yellowish 

 green to dark green 



1 This is Standardized Plant Names usage. Decision has been reached, since this hand- 

 book went to press, by the Forest Service and other bureaus of the Department of Agri- 

 culture to adopt ephedra as the English name for these plants, and this usage is shown in 

 the index. 



2 The common pronunciation of this word is e-fee'-dra, putting the accent on the second 

 syllable (penult). The preferred pronunciation, however, is e'-fee-dra, with the accent 

 on the first sylllable (antepenult), the second e in the Greek word ephedra being the 

 short e (epsilon), so that, under the rules, the stress recedes to the first syllable. 



