Habitat
In the United States, Ephedra viridis is native to western and south-western areas. It is highly abundant in the Big Basin and Four Corners Region, but can be found in a wide range of states as seen on the map below.
Map source: United States Department of Agriculture PLANTS Database
Ephedra viridis grows in dry, arid areas. Unlike many land plants, Ephedra viridis grows best in dry, rocky, sandy or unnourished soils. This allows for Ephedra viridis to grow in some pretty interesting places such as mountain slopes, canyon walls, gravelly areas, open valleys, and desert-like areas.
©2006 Joseph Dougherty, M.D./ecology.org ©2006 Joseph Dougherty, M.D./ecology.org
It's pretty cool how these plants can just start growing in bizarre places like canyon walls, isn't it? To see some features of this plant that allow it to grow in these places, head over to the Adaptations page, or you can go Home.