Although native to the State in its common name, Nevada Jointfir, known botanically as Ephedra Nevadensis, has an endemic range stretching throughout the American Southwest and parts of Mexico. Noted is its preferance for rocky, sandy soils, which comprise much of the earth surrounding Pioneertown. Composed of densely arranged, small, cylindrical, gray green stalks connected in segments, it generally appears as a low growing shrub about 1 foot high, often more broad than tall.
Ephedra Nevadensis is an important forage plant for wild and domesticated sheep. Along with smaller mammals, they assist the organism in reproduction by consuming their seeds and passing them some distance from the original growth. Nevada Jointfir also reproduces vegitatively, with severed stem segments taking root under favorable conditions.
Almost all native cultures near its endemic edges used the beneficial properties of Ephedra species. The custom of processing its stems to make a hot drink was adopted by mormon settlers, eventually leading to the genus being referred to as mormon tea. In spite of accounts depicting the brew relieving ailements of the digestive tract, it was also know to cause disorders if consumed in excess. Chewing the raw stems also seemed to temporarily stave off thirst, an incredibly valuable desert resource.
Cut and cured in native cloth,
burn and boil healing broth,
holding hope hard deserts day,
burst through bindings of the clay
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