JOAN MUENCH, MEMBG Nursery Technician
Anyone who has taken university botany classes has likely heard about Mormon tea, Ephedra, the nearly leafless, shrubby gymnosperms that form masses of slim, green stems. Tiny scalelike leaves, in pairs or threes, are present for a brief period at the nodes, but the shallowly ridged stems are chiefly responsible for photosynthesis. Regrettably, species of Ephedra are not commonly cultivated other than at botanical gardens even though they are very interesting, easy to grow, and hardy. Indeed, many references on cultivated shrubs never mention this genus.
One of my favorite plants in our botanical garden is Ephedra tweediana. Unlike its relatives, which live under dry, often desert conditions, this species is a climbing shrub with long and thin, flexible and pendulous branches. With a support of trees or a fence, it can reach a height of about 12 feet, and the twisted trunk can achieve a diameter of 6 inches. It is a native of South America, primarily Argentina but is also found in southern Brazil and eastern Uruguay. Common names of this plant include tramontana (which does not translate well) and cola de caballo, i.e., horse's tail, which seems fitting because it resembles horsetails (Equisetum). Whereas most ephedras occur in arid habitats, E. tweediana grows in areas where the annual precipitation can be about 40 inches or more. It grows in damp woods and along river banks in undisturbed vegetation but may persist along edges of cultivated land or by railroad tracks.
Our plant is a real prize and looks like a green haystack, thriving in a sunny location overlooking the Med Section.