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| Vine Joint-fir, Vine Ephedra, Comida de Bibora Ephedra pedunculata Ephedraceae As its name implies, vine ephedra is a shrub with a vinelike growing habit, with stems that can be up to 20 feet long climbing up other shrubs or trailing along the ground. It grows in dry, gravelly, rocky or calcareous soils in the South Texas Plains and on the periphery of the Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos to Mexico. Like other Ephedras, its leaves are miniscule and scale-like, and are so inconspicuous that the plant appears leafless. Photosynthesis is performed by the stems, which are grayish-green, smooth and slightly furrowed when young, and cracked and somewhat fissured when mature. Very drought tolerant, it needs full sun and well-drained soil. Its dense, shrubby, vinelike growth pattern provides cover for small mammals and reptiles.
Plant Habit or Use: medium shrub Exposure: sun Flower Color: yellow to red (male) Blooming Period: spring Fruit Characteristics: small cone with two seeds Height: to 20 feet Width: to 20 feet Plant Character: evergreen Heat Tolerance: very high Water Requirements:
Soil Requirements: neutral Additional Comments:
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