''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.
Description
''E. coryi'' is a
Gymnosperm
The gymnosperms ( lit. revealed seeds) are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, ''Ginkgo'', and gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae. The term ''gymnosperm'' comes from the composite word in el, Î³Ï…Î¼Î½ÏŒÏ ...
and a member of the
Gnetophyta
Gnetophyta () is a division of plants (alternatively considered the subclass Gnetidae or order Gnetales), grouped within the gymnosperms (which also includes conifers, cycads, and ginkgos), that consists of some 70 species across the three rel ...
. ''E. coryi'' is a
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
shrub.
Plant height ranges from 1–3 ft.
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.
Internodes are 1–5 mm in length.
As a gymnosperm, ''E. coryi'' produces cones. The female cones are about 4–6 mm long and typically appear orange or yellow when mature.
The cones grow on bare
peduncles 7–15 mm in length and produce two smooth brown oval-shaped seeds.
Cone maturation occurs from March to April.
The plant forms conic terminal buds 1–3 mm in length.
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 on
Distribution
''Ephedra coryi'' is found in the southern continental region of the United States.
Native plant, Native populations can be found growing in the county of
Socorro, New Mexico
Socorro (, '' sÉ™-KOR-oh'') is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of . In 2010 the population was 9,051. It is the county seat of Socorro County. Socorro is located south of A ...
, and several counties in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
including;
Andrews Andrews may refer to:
Places Australia
*Andrews, Queensland
*Andrews, South Australia
United States
*Andrews, Florida (disambiguation), various places
*Andrews, Indiana
* Andrews, Nebraska
*Andrews, North Carolina
* Andrews, Oregon
* Andrews, Sou ...
,
Dawson,
Ector,
Gaines,
Howard
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
,
Loving,
Lubbock
Lubbock ( )
is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northwe ...
,
Midland
Midland may refer to:
Places Australia
* Midland, Western Australia
Canada
* Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Midland, Ontario
India
* Midland Ward, Kohima, Nagal ...
,
Terry
Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence or Terrier (masculine).
People
Male
* Terry Albrit ...
,
Ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
, and
Winkler Winkler may refer to:
* Winkler (surname), people with the surname ''Winkler'' or ''Winckler''
* Winkler scale, also known as the heat summation scale for classifying climates
* Winkler (crater), a crater on the Moon
* 6473 Winkler, an asteroid
* ...
. This species is well-suited to arid environments and is capable of surviving in rocky, thin-soil areas including mesas.
Ecology
This species is a
rhizomatous
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
. 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 Scrub oak is a common name for several species of small, shrubby oaks. It may refer to:
*the Chaparral plant community in California, or to one of the following species.
In California
*California scrub oak (''Quercus berberidifolia''), a widespr ...
.
Conservation status
Cory's joint-fir is considered a rare plant
due to its restricted geographic range. The
IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
classifies this species as one of
Least-concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
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.
NatureServe
NatureServe, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Arlington County, Virginia, US, that provides proprietary wildlife conservation-related data, tools, and services to private and government clients, partner organizations, and the public. Nat ...
, a non-profit organization that assesses the conservation status of plants (amongst other things), lists the
conservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...
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. New Mexico has not listed the same vulnerable conservation status.
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,
making it unlikely that such methods will be utilized in the near future.
References
External links
IUCN RedlistFlora of North America
{{Taxonbar, from=Q17013798
coryi