The jointfirs, with jointed branches resembling those of horsetails 

 (Equisetum spp.), are distinctive shrubs or small trees belonging to 

 the gnetum family (Gnetaceae), and intermediate between the pine 

 family and the higher flowering plants (angiosperms). Their leaves 

 have degenerated into scales partly ensheathing the joints of the 

 branches. Jointfir, the accepted common name, 8 is rather descrip- 

 tive, but as yet is only limitedly employed in the range country, 

 where the names Mormon-tea and caiiatillo are generally used in 

 references to these jplants. Other local names include Brigham-tea, 

 Mexican-tea, jointpine, popotillo, shrubby horsetail, teamsters-tea, 

 and tepopote. Ephedrcu is an old Greek plant name, which sup- 

 posedly refers to some horsetail or to marestail, or water-milfoil 

 (Hippwris) ; it was adopted by Tournefort and later by Linnaeus 

 as the generic name for the jointfirs. 



Ephedra is a geologically ancient genus, with about 40 species 

 widely distributed throughout the world, chiefly in the warmer 

 desert and mountainous areas of the Northern Hemisphere; 8 to 10 

 species, however, have been recorded from the Southern Hemisphere, 

 chiefly from South America. The number of species is about equally 

 divided between the Old and New Worlds without any natural 

 interchange of species between these two vast areas. About 10 or 11 

 species are native to the United States, all confined to the more arid 

 portions of the West, and chiefly in the desert and semidesert areas 

 of the Southwest. Five or six of these species are rather common in 

 the region from southwestern Wyoming to western Texas, eastern 

 and southern California, and southward into Mexico. 



Jointfirs grow on dry, open sites in valleys and on slopes, mesas, 

 and foothills, principally in the sagebrush, pinon- juniper, and pon- 

 derosa-pine zones, and chiefly in gravelly or sandy soils, but occa- 

 sionally in clays. Exposed canyon bottoms, dry washes, ridge tops, 

 and breaks with southern exposures are characteristic habitats of 

 these shrubs. The commonly associated plants include gramas, 

 mountain-mahoganies, shadscale and other saltbushes, junipers, and 

 creosotebush. Jointfirs generally occur sparsely as scattered bushes 

 or in clumps but sometimes are the dominant species on limited 

 areas, appearing in almost pure stands in small, localized patches. 



Although not equal in palatability to the choicest browse species, 

 the jointfirs are often heavily grazed in such emergency periods as 

 prolonged drought or during scarcity of better forage. At times 

 they are very important elements in winter range carrying capacity 

 due to their moderate palatability, the immense number of stems 

 produced, and the relative abundance of these species on certain 

 areas. Because of the prevalence of overstocking and overgrazing 

 on many western ranges, jointfirs have succumbed to excessive 

 utilization on some areas. 



Ever since 2737-2698 B. C., the time of the illustrious, semi- 

 legendary Emperor Shen Nung, putative father of Chinese medi- 

 cine and agriculture and author of its first materia medica, the Chi- 

 nese have used, both externally and internally, preparations of the 



3 American Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature. STANDARDIZED PLANT 

 NAMES . . . Prepared by F. L. Olmsted, F. V. Coville, and H. P. Kelsey. 546 pp. 

 Salem, Mass. 1923. 



