Ephedra gerardiana var. congesta C. Y. Cheng.

Shrubs small, to 15 cm; woody stems buried in soil, parts above ground scabrous, rarely almost smooth; branchlets directed upward, dark green, later brown, short, stout, usually with 1-3 nodes, internodes 1-1.5(-2) cm × 1.5-2 mm, longitudinally furrowed, often scabridulous. Leaves opposite, 2-3 mm, connate for ca. 2/3 their length. Pollen cones solitary or 2 at nodes, small, 2-5 × ca. 2 mm, sessile; bracts in 3 or 4(-6) pairs; staminal column exserted for ca. 1/2 its length, with 8 sessile anthers. Seed cones solitary, sessile or shortly pedunculate, subglobose at maturity, 5-7 mm in diam.; bracts in 2 or 3 pairs, connate for 1/4-1/3 their length, the apical pair for ca. 2/3 their length, red and fleshy at maturity; integument tube short, ca. 1 mm. Seeds 1 or 2, oblong or obovoid-oblong, 4-6 × 1.5-3 mm, exserted, apex obtuse or subacuminate. Pollination Jul, seed maturity Aug-Sep. 2n = 14*, 28*, 56*.

Dry and rocky slopes; 3700-5300 m. Qinghai, Xinjiang, Xizang [Afghanistan, N India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sikkim, Tajikistan]