Ephedra foeminea

Jointfir

Family: Ephedraceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Jointfir is a naturalized shrub found in southern California coastal regions in oak woodland at elevations of 600 to 750 meters. This distinctive plant grows as a climbing or hanging shrub with gray-green twigs that age to reddish-brown and gradually turn gray. Growing up to 5 meters tall, it features slender branches with small scale-like leaves about 2.5 millimeters long at each node. Its unique seed cones are narrow-cylindric with fleshy, reddish bracts that partially fuse together, containing one or two smooth seeds. The plant's architectural growth habit and color-changing stems make it a visually interesting component of its woodland habitat.

Habitat: Oak woodland

Elevation: 600-750 m

Bioregions: SCo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.