Ephedra Nebrodensis seed

LATIN NAME: EPHEDRA NEBRODENSIS

COMMON NAME: Sicilian Joint Pine

The Sicilian joint pine knots the low, wiry, evergreen shrub with the slender, jointed, grey-green stems that knot the tangled, rounded mound, the stems carrying the tiny, scale-like leaves at the joints, the small, round, red cones following on the female plants, the whole shrub holding the dry, aromatic look. It grows slowly into the dense, low form, and it stands the heat, the drought and the poor, stony soil well. It likes the sun, and the light, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The jointed, leafless stems of the Sicilian joint pine give it a recognised place in the research on the drought-tolerant shrubs of the ancient gnetophyte group, and the nebrodensis species appears in the studies of the relict gymnosperm plants and the dry-season growth. The work looks at the way the wiry stems knot the low mound, the cone biology, and the seed biology. The ancient lineage keeps the botanists interested, and the growers of the drought-tolerant and rock-garden shrubs keep the species in their catalogues.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the dry garden, the Sicilian joint pine knots the dry garden with the wiry, grey stems. The grey-green, jointed stems hold the slope, the red cones light the female plants, and the shrub makes the fine groundcover and the rock-garden plant. It grows well in the light, well-drained, sunny ground. Jointed, wiry and drought-proof.

To grow the Sicilian Joint Pine from seed, set the seeds in gritty drills on a sunny bank.

Set the seeds in gritty drills on a sunny bank, and give the young plants the open, sunny spot. The knot stems come within a season or two. , watering them in sparingly, keep the drills lightly watered, and the young plants wake in their own season. The knot stems will tangle within a season or two.