Ephedra

Ephedraceae

• An unusual group of woody plants in our desert region are the species of Ephedra. Ephedra species are an ancient group but widespread in arid regions around the world. While most species are woody shrubs, the group also includes woody vines and small trees. What makes this group so unusual is that they are not flowering plants but instead gymnosperms, with their closest relatives being the conifers. An interesting adaptation trait of ephedras is that they have evolved an efficient water transport system in their xylem consisting of vessel elements (open tubes) and these structures are key to their ecological success in arid regions. This water transport system is much like the vessels present in flowering plants but has evolved totally independent. In contrast, conifers have a water transport system using fiber tracheis, a much less efficient structure of living cells.
• Euro-American settlers of the western United States brewed a medicinal tea from ephedra, giving rise to the name mormon-tea. The basis for the effects of the tea lies with ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, which are alkaloids present in ephedra. These compounds have simulant and decongestant qualities and are related chemically to amphetamines. Although extracts of these compounds were widely used in dietary supplements and as an appetite suppressant, these uses are restricted in over-the-counter sales because of adverse effects from high doses. 
• Our seven native species of Ephedra in California are all woody shrubs that have a broom-like appearance-with jointed stems and leaves reduced to triangular scales at the nodes. As gymnosperms, there are no flowers. The cones are borne in the axils of the nodes, which occur on separate male and female plants. It is difficult, at first, to separate our species of ephedra, but with practice they can be distinguished. The first trait to look for is the number of scale-leaves and or cones at each node. Four of our species have these arrayed in groups of three. The most common of these is California ephedra or desert tea, which is a wide-ranging species found in broad washes below about 3,600 feet throughout both the Mojave and Sonoran Desert-as well as extending to scattered areas of Mediterranean-type shrublands in southern California. "California Desert Plants, Philipp W Rundel, Robert J Gustafson, Michael E Kauffmann."