Moon and Ephedra

Ephedra foeminea production of drops on fullmoons to attract insects for pollination (Biology letters article ).

Ephedra (Gnetales), both wind pollination and insect pollination occur. … Ephedra foeminea. It is pollinated by dipterans and lepidopterans, most of them nocturnal, and its pollination coincides with the full moon of July. This may be adaptive in two ways. Many nocturnal insects navigate using the moon. Further, the spectacular reflection of the full-moonlight in the pollination drops is the only apparent means of nocturnal attraction of insects in these plants.

In the sympatric but wind-pollinated Ephedra distachya, pollination is not correlated to the full moon but occurs at approximately the same dates every year. The lunar correlation has probably been lost in most species of Ephedra subsequent an evolutionary shift to wind pollination in the clade.

This raises possibility that Arya-s were aware of some kind of comparable lunar connection for the Ephedra they used as soma; after all the drop: indu is synonymous with the moon.