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36 GYMNOSPERMS The gymnosperms are woody vascular plants that do not produce true flowers, but instead bear mega- and microsporangia on the open faces of sporophylls that are often grouped together in cones. In Colorado these fall into 3 families, separated by the following key. 1a. Shrubs with jointed green stems, the leaves represented by small black triangular scales in whorls at the joints; microsporangiate cones yellow, the scales stamen-like; megasporangiate (ovulate) cones green, of a few loose thin scales. Ephedraceae, EPHEDRA FAMILY 1b. Trees or shrubs with either needle-like or scale-like overlapping leaves, producing berry-like gray cones or cones with woody scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) 2a. Fruit a gray berry-like cone, the scales fused together and only detectable by their protruding tips; shrubs or small trees with decussately arranged scale-like leaves or flat sharp needles. Cupressaceae, CYPRESS FAMILY 2b. Fruit a woody cone with spirally arranged scales; small or large trees with needle leaves. Pinaceae, PINE FAMILY CUPRESSACEAE S. F. Gray 1822. CYPRESS FAMILY (CUP) This is a very ancient family, going back to the Jurassic, with relictual species and genera scattered over the world. Cupressus, the true cypress, has centers of diversity in California and around the Mediterranean. Juniperus is also essentially a Mediterranean genus, with a single outlier, J. communis, in the mountains of the Northern Hemisphere. Sabina is well represented by a number of species in the mountains and steppes of North America and Eurasia. The common names “cedar” and “juniper” are very loosely used for various genera of this family. In fact, the true cedars (Cedrus) belong to the pine family. 1a. Low, sprawling shrub with strongly bicolored needle-leaves, white above, green below; cones almost sessile (on extremely short shoots with a few scale leaves), in the axils of the large vegetative needles; needles 3 at a node. Juniperus, JUNIPER 1b. Erect small tree with decussate, triangular scale leaves appressed to the branches (a few injured or juvenile branches may revert to the Juniperus type); cones terminating short shoots not differentiated in any way from the vegetative branches; leaves 2 at a node. Sabina, RED CEDAR, SAVIN, JUNIPER JUNIPERUS L. 1753 [old Latin name used by Virgil and Pliny]. JUNIPER, SABINA MACHO A mostly Mediterranean genus. One species, J. communis L. subsp. alpina (Smith) Celakovsky, 8A. Common undershrub throughout the coniferous forest area. We regard our plant to be a circumpolar subspecies, while the FNA considers this as var. depressa, limited to North America. (J. sibirica.) SABINA Miller 1754 [the ancient Latin name]. JUNIPER, SAVIN Often included in Juniperus. 1a. All branchlets stout, not tapering; berries more than 5 mm diameter. S. osteosperma (Torrey) Antoine, UTAH JUNIPER (S. utahensis), 8C. Piñon-juniper from EA westward. Reports of S. monosperma on the Western Slope are incorrect. While the habit of immature plants may be confusing, the species are easily distinguished by their cones: in S. osteosperma the cones are dry and mealy when crushed while in S. mono­ sperma they are full of liquid resin. 1b. Ultimate branchlets slender and elongate; berries less than 7 mm diameter. S. scopulorum (Sargent) Rydberg, ROCKY MOUNTAIN JUNIPER. 8B. Abundant at higher altitudes, requiring more moisture. ˆ 37 Gymnosperms EPHEDRACEAE Dumortier 1829. EPHEDRA FAMILY (EPH) This family contains the single genus Ephedra, the source of the drug ephedrine. Our species are characteristic of the southwestern deserts. The plants are shrubs with what resemble the jointed, leafless stems of horsetails. The genus takes several forms: in the Mediterranean region there are species that hang pendent from trees, and on the central Asian deserts there are dwarfed species a few centimeters high, producing bright red berries. EPHEDRA L. 1753 [Greek name used by Pliny for Hippuris]. MORMON TEA, 8D 1a. Branches gray, widely spreading; leaves and cone-scales 3 at a node; bracts of ovulate cones stalked, scarious. E. torreyana S. Watson. Desert sites, less common than the next, and restricted to drier and lower areas. The branches make a palatable tea. 1b. Branches rich green, usually erect or ascending parallel; leaves and cone-scales 2 at a node; bracts of the cones sessile, only the margins scarious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) 2a. Twigs smooth, not viscid. E. viridis Coville. More abundant than the last and ascending to higher altitudes (cliffs of Glenwood Canyon), western tier of counties. 2b. Twigs viscid. E. cutleri Peebles [for Hugh Cutler, monographer of the genus]. On sandy flats, similar range. (E. viridis var. viscida.) PINACEAE Sprengel ex Rudolphi 1830. PINE FAMILY (PIN) The pine...

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