range, where they chiefly occur, the younger stems are eaten with 

 relish. Green jointfir extends farther north than any of its sister 

 species, occurring from southwestern Wyoming to southeastern Cali- 

 fornia and New Mexico. The range of Nevada jointfir duplicates 

 that of green jointfir except that the former does not grow in Wyo- 

 ming but extends farther south into Old Mexico. Nevada and green 

 jointfirs are somewhat similar in growth and general appearance, 

 attaining heights of from about 20 to 40 inches, and having numer- 

 ous, stiff branches, which typically grow in pairs. They also have 

 scales (modified leaves) about one-eighth to three-sixteenths of an 

 inch long, which occur in pairs joined at their base and thus sheath- 

 ing the stem. However, Nevada jointfir is olive or brownish green 

 and has rather stout, spreading branches; green jointfir is bright 

 yellowish green with its numerous, slender, parallel branches point- 

 ing upward like the straws in an upturned broom. 



Torrey jointfir (E. toweya'na}, a low desert bush, ranges from 

 southern Colorado and New Mexico to Arizona, southern Utah, and 

 southern Nevada. Its branches and leafscales are arranged in groups 

 of three instead of in pairs. The leafscales of Torrey jointfir are 

 more or less united around the flexuous branches and very short 

 (one-eighth of an inch long or less). The species occurs from 

 southern Colorado, through southern Utah and Nevada, to Arizona, 

 New Mexico, and northern Mexico ; it is an important winter forage, 



particularly for cattle jind sheep. 

 Longleaf j( 



_ jointfir (E. trifur'oa) grows from southern Colorado 

 to the Mohave and Colorado Deserts of southeastern California, 

 western Texas, and northern Mexico. Its branches and leafscales, 

 like those of Torrey jointfir, are paired (opposite). This shrub 

 attains heights of from 2 to C 1 /^ feet and produces an abundance of 

 spine-tipped branches ; its leafscales are mostly distinct and are longer 

 (from one-fourth to one-half of an inch long), more tapering, and 

 more persistent than those of Torrey jointfir. Although fairly com- 

 mon, in the Southwest, longleaf jointfir, largely no doubt due to its 

 somewhat forbidding growth habit, ranks as valueless for forage, 

 except, perhaps, as an emergency ration. 



