| Ephedra coryi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Gnetophyta |
| Class: | Gnetopsida |
| Order: | Ephedrales |
| Family: | Ephedraceae |
| Genus: | Ephedra |
| Species: | E. coryi |
| Binomial name | |
| Ephedra coryi E.L.Reed | |
 | |
| Distribution of Ephedra coryi | |
 | |
| Ephedra coryi county distribution map | |
Ephedra coryi, also known as Cory's joint-fir, is a rare, reed-like gymnosperm native to sandy, semi-arid areas of the North American South and Southwest. [1]
E. coryi is a Gymnosperm and a member of the Gnetophyta. E. coryi is a perennial shrub.
Plant height ranges from 1–3 ft. [2] The man photosynthetic structures of E. coryi are the stems, as is typical of the genus. The stems are thin and green with thicker, hardened bases covered in dark brown bark. [1] Internodes are 1–5 mm in length. [1] As a gymnosperm, E. coryi produces cones. The female cones are about 4–6 mm long and typically appear orange or yellow when mature. [1] The cones grow on bare peduncles 7–15 mm in length and produce two smooth brown oval-shaped seeds. [1] Cone maturation occurs from March to April. [2] The plant forms conic terminal buds 1–3 mm in length. [1] Mature female cones are sometimes mistaken for flowers at a distance, as they appear in groups of several cones at stem joints.
E. coryi is similar to, and may be confused with the more common E. aspera , but E. coryi has two seeds in each cone while E. aspera only has one.
Ephedra coryi is found in the southern continental region of the United States. Native populations can be found growing in the county of Socorro, New Mexico, and several counties in Texas including; Andrews, Dawson, Ector, Gaines, Howard, Loving, Lubbock, Midland, Terry, Ward, and Winkler. [3] This species is well-suited to arid environments and is capable of surviving in rocky, thin-soil areas including mesas. [4]
This species is a rhizomatous shrub. It is found growing in nutrient scarce soils, such as sandy soils, rocky cliffs, dunes, semi-arid grassland prairies, and "shinneries" (dense thickets) of scrub oak. [1] [4]
Cory's joint-fir is considered a rare plant [5] due to its restricted geographic range. The IUCN Red List classifies this species as one of Least-concern because there are currently no threats facing the known populations. Their population numbers are classified as stable. While this plant is rare, it is not considered endangered by the terms of the IUCN Red List. [4] NatureServe, a non-profit organization that assesses the conservation status of plants (amongst other things), lists the conservation status of E. coryi as G3N3, meaning it is vulnerable globally and nationally. It is listed as S3 in Texas, meaning it is considered vulnerable in that state as well. [6] New Mexico has not listed the same vulnerable conservation status. [7] Additionally, in a 2011 meeting, the New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council (NMRPTC) determined that Cory's joint-fir did not meet their organization's standards for "rare" classification. For ex situ (off-site) conservation methods to be employed, a seed collection would need to be conducted. IUCN has noted that no known seed collections have been made in recent years, [4] making it unlikely that such methods will be utilized in the near future.
Welwitschia is a monotypic genus of gymnosperm, the sole described species being the distinctive Welwitschia mirabilis, endemic to the Namib desert within Namibia and Angola. Welwitschia is the only living genus of the family Welwitschiaceae and order Welwitschiales in the division Gnetophyta, and is one of three living genera in Gnetophyta, alongside Gnetum and Ephedra. Informal sources commonly refer to the plant as a "living fossil".
The Torrey pine is a rare pine species in California, United States. It is a critically endangered species growing only in coastal San Diego County, and on Santa Rosa Island, offshore from Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara County. The Torrey pine is endemic to the California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion.
Abies nordmanniana, the Nordmann fir or Caucasian fir, is a fir indigenous to the mountains south and east of the Black Sea, in Turkey, Georgia and the Russian Caucasus. It occurs at altitudes of 900–2,200 m on mountains with precipitation of over 1,000 mm.
Abies procera, the noble fir, also called red fir and Christmas tree, is a species of fir native to the Cascade Range and Pacific Coast Ranges of the northwestern Pacific Coast of the United States. It occurs at altitudes of 300–1,500 meters (980–4,920 ft).
The Fraser fir, sometimes spelled" Frasier fir, is an endangered species of fir native to the Appalachian Mountains of the Southeastern United States. They are endemic to only seven montane regions in the Appalachian Mountains.
Cupressus bakeri, reclassified as Hesperocyparis bakeri, with the common names Baker cypress, Modoc cypress, or Siskiyou cypress, is a rare species of cypress tree endemic to a small area across far northern California and extreme southwestern Oregon, in the western United States.
Cupressus guadalupensis, the Guadalupe cypress, is a species of cypress from Guadalupe Island in the Pacific Ocean off western North America.
Abies amabilis, commonly known as the Pacific silver fir, is a fir native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, occurring in the Pacific Coast Ranges and the Cascade Range. It is also commonly referred to in English as the white fir, red fir, lovely fir, amabilis fir, Cascades fir, or silver fir. The species name is Latin for 'lovely'.
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius, commonly known as the celerytop pine, is an endemic gymnosperm of Tasmania, Australia. It is widespread and common in Tasmania, with the most abundance in the western highlands. Its ‘leaves’ appear similar to those of a celery plant, hence the common name.
Abies sibirica, the Siberian fir, is a coniferous evergreen tree native to the taiga east of the Volga River and south of 67°40' North latitude in Siberia through Turkestan, northeast Xinjiang, Mongolia and Heilongjiang.
Ephedra is a genus of gymnosperm shrubs. The various species of Ephedra are widespread in many arid regions of the world, ranging across southwestern North America, southern Europe, northern Africa, southwest and central Asia, northern China and western South America. It is the only extant genus in its family, Ephedraceae, and order, Ephedrales, and one of the three living members of the division Gnetophyta alongside Gnetum and Welwitschia.
A strobilus is a structure present on many land plant species consisting of sporangia-bearing structures densely aggregated along a stem. Strobili are often called cones, but some botanists restrict the use of the term cone to the woody seed strobili of conifers. Strobili are characterized by a central axis surrounded by spirally arranged or decussate structures that may be modified leaves or modified stems.
Taxus floridana, the Florida yew, is a species of yew, endemic to a small area of under 10 km² on the eastern side of the Apalachicola River in mesophytic forests of northern Florida at altitudes of 15–40 m. It is listed as critically endangered. It is protected in reserves at the Torreya State Park and at the Nature Conservancy's Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, and has legal protection under the United States and Florida Endangered Species laws.
Ephedra aspera is a species of Ephedra known by the common names rough jointfir, boundary ephedra, and pitamoreal. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Texas and parts of northern Mexico as far south as Zacatecas. It is a resident of varied woodland and scrub plant communities.
Encephalartos horridus, the Eastern Cape blue cycad, is a small, low-growing cycad up to 0.9 m (3.0 ft) high and 0.9 m (3.0 ft) wide. It is a native of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, and found in arid shrublands, most commonly on ridges and slopes with shallow soils. The species is particularly known for its distinctly blue-gray leaves, although the degree of coloration can vary significantly. The species name horridus is Latin for 'bristly', after the plant's stiff, spiny leaflets.
Ephedra alata is a species of Ephedra. These plants are perennial and xerophytic gymnosperm shrubs.
Ephedra cutleri, the Navajo ephedra or Cutler's jointfir, is a species of Ephedra that is native to the Southwestern United States.
Ephedra altissima is a species of Ephedra that is native to the western Sahara, and also to the Canary Islands.
Ephedra nevadensis, commonly known as Nevada ephedra, gray ephedra, Mormon tea and Nevada jointfir, is a species of gymnosperm native to dry areas of western North America.
Cupressus nevadensis, now reclassified as Hesperocyparis nevadensis, with the common name Paiute cypress, is a species of cypress tree native to a small area in Sierra Nevada of California, in the western United States.
