Ephedra nevadensis.

Late summer 2013 I managed to get a single Ephedra nevadensis to germinate. Germination would likely have been better had I used a longer period of cold stratification. That's something to remember when I sow the remainder this spring.

Ephedras are amazing plants, and rather primitive, with a lineage that tracks back to the Cretaceous period. Scrubby at first glance, ephedras are gymnosperms, a relationship hinted at in their common name: joint fir. Like conifers and cycads, these plants produce cones. They are typically found growing in extreme environments: deserts, scrub, dry mountains, and the like. They have a global distribution, from the mountains of South America to the dry American Southwest to the Far East of China, across Central Asia to the Middle East, south along the Red Sea and westward along both coasts of the Mediterranean Sea.

I hope to add a few more species to the gardens, perhaps Ephedra intermedia (used in Chinese medicine along with Ephedra sinica) or Ephedra equisetina - the Bluestem Joint Fir. Either of these would make striking additions to the rock garden.