Ephedra pedunculata, common name Clap-weed, vine Mormon tea or Comida de Vívora, is a plant species native to southern Texas and to Mexico as far south as Zacatecas. It grows in sandy or rocky slopes and outcrops.[1][2]

Clap-weed
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
(unranked):	Gymnosperms
Division:	Gnetophyta
Class:	Gnetopsida
Order:	Ephedrales
Family:	Ephedraceae
Genus:	Ephedra
Species:	E. pedunculata
Binomial name
Ephedra pedunculata Engelm. ex S. Watson

Most species of Ephedra (called "Mormon tea") are shrubs, but Ephedra pedunculata is a trailing or clambering woody vine up to 7 m (23 ft) long. Bark is gray, becoming cracked with age. Leaves are opposite, up to 3 mm (0.12 in) long. Microsporangial (pollen-producing cones) are 1–2 mm long, compared to less than 1 mm in many other species. Seed cones are 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long, each containing 2 ellipsoid seeds 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long.[3][4][5]

References