Interesting Facts
Common Names
Click on the language to view common names.
Common Names in Chinese:
Muzei Ma Huang
Common Names in English:
Ma Huang, Mongolian Ephedra, Muzei Ma Huang
Description
Genus Ephedra
Shrubs
or occasionally clambering
vines
. Branches jointed
, yellowish green to olive-green when young. Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3, apex obtuse
to setaceous
from an adaxial-median thickening. Pollen cones lanceoloid or ellipsoid
to ovoid
or obovoid
. Seed cones ellipsoid to ovoid, obovoid, or nearly globose
. Seeds ellipsoid to globose, yellow to dark brown, smooth
to scabrous
or furrowed
. x
= 7.
Species ca.
60: generally dry areas in temperate
, tropical
North America and Mediterranean regions, Mexico, South America (Ecuador to Patagonia and lowland Argentina), s Europe, Asia, n Africa (including Canary Islands).
The North American species of Ephedra are well defined based on combinations
of vegetative
and reproductive characters. Putative hybrids reported and described by H. C.
Cutler (1939) appear to be products of singular events; these hybrids are discussed under the parental species. Infraspecific
taxa are not recognized in this treatment because there appear to be no consistent defining characters and no geographic correlations
; previous recognition of infraspecific taxa (H. C. Cutler 1939) appears to be based on random variability.Zhen-lan Wu & Sylvia M. Phillips "Ephedra". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.
Physical Description
Species Ephedra equisetina
Shrubs to 1(-1.5) m tall; woody stems well developed, erect or partially procumbent , thick; herbaceous branchlets virgate , bluish green or grayish green, priunose, 1-1.5 mm in diam., rigid , internodes short, 1-3 cm × 1-1.5 mm, finely furrowed . Leaves opposite, brownish, 1.5-3 mm, connate for ca. 3/4 their length, free part bluntly triangular. Pollen cones solitary or in clusters of 3 or 4 at nodes, sessile or shortly pedunculate ; bracts in 3 or 4 pairs, connate for ca. 1/3 their length; staminal column slightly exserted, with 6-8 sessile anthers . Seed cones usually opposite at nodes, shortly pedunculate, elongate-ovoid or ovoid at maturity, 8-10 × 4-5 mm; bracts in 3 pairs, apical pair connate for ca. 2/3 their length, red and fleshy at maturity; integument tube to 2 mm, straight or slightly curved , slightly exserted. Seeds usually 1, elongate-ovoid, 5-7 × 2.5-3 mm. Pollination Jun-Jul, seed maturity Aug-Sep. 2n = 14*. [source]
Habitat
Dry and rocky places; 800-3000 m
(Ref. 100177).
Taxonomy
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Plants
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Vascular Plants
- Class:
Gnetopsida
()
- Order:
Ephedrales
()
- Family:
Scarabaeoidea
()
- Genus:
Ephedra
()
- Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1040. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 462, 1754.
- Mormon-tea, joint-fir [Greek ep -, upon, and hédra, seat or sitting upon a place; from the ancient name used by Pliny for Equisetum ; the stems resemble the jointed stems of Equisetum, the segments of which appear to sit one upon the other]
- Specific epithet:
equisetina
- Bunge, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Petersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math. 7: 501. 1851.
- Botanical name: - Ephedra equisetina Bunge
- Specific epithet:
equisetina
- Bunge, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Petersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math. 7: 501. 1851.
- Genus:
Ephedra
(
- Family:
Scarabaeoidea
(
- Order:
Ephedrales
(
- Class:
Gnetopsida
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
Unambiguous Synonyms
- Ephedra shennungiana Tang.
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
. Latest taxonomic
scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000
Place of publication
: Beitr. Fl.
Russl. 324; Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St
.-Pétersbourg Divers
Savans 7:499. 1852
Name verified on 15-May-1995 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 21-Feb-2006
Similar Species
Members of the genus Ephedra
There are approximately 181 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:
E. 879 · E. aff. glauca · E. affinis intermedia · E. alata · E. album · E. alenda · E. alte · E. altissima · E. americana · E. americana Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. var. andina (Poepp. ex Willd.) Stapf · E. americana var. andina (Joint Fir) · E. americana var. rupestris · E. andina · E. antisyphilitica (Clapweed) · E. aphylla (Ephedra) · E. araucana · E. arborea · E. arenicola (Sand Mormon Tea) · E. aspera (Aspera Mormon Tea) · E. atlantica · E. aurantiaca · E. biumbellata · E. boelckei · E. botryoides · E. botschantzevii · E. bracteata · E. breana · E. brevifoliata · E. california · E. californica (California Joint-Fir) · E. californica var. californica · E. campulopoda · E. campylopoda · E. chilensis · E. chilensis 'Mellow Yellow' · E. chilensis 'Quite White' · E. ciliata · E. clusii · E. compacta · E. coryi (Cory Ephedra) · E. cutleri (Cutler Mormon Tea) · E. dahurica · E. dawuensis · E. distachia · E. distachya (Jointfir) · E. distachya distachya · E. distachya helvetica · E. distachya L. var. monostachya (L.) Stapf · E. distachya var. distachya · E. dubia · E. dumosa · E. dystachia · E. eleutherolepis · E. equisetiformis · E. equisetina (Ma Huang) · E. equisetina 'Bluestem' · E. equisetina var. monoica · E. fasciculata (Arizona Ephedra) · E. fasciculata var. clokeyi · E. fasciculata var. fasciculata · E. fedtschenkoae · E. fedtschenkoi · E. ferganensis · E. flava · E. foemina · E. foeminea · E. foliata · E. fragilis · E. fragilis campylopoda · E. fragilis fragilis · E. frustillata · E. funera · E. funerea (Death Valley Ephedra) · E. geradiana · E. gerardiana (Gerard Jointfir) · E. gerardiana var. sikkimensis (Asamania) · E. gibraltarica · E. glauca · E. gracilis · E. graeca · E. grafilis · E. helvatica · E. helvetica · E. holoptera · E. humilis · E. intermedia · E. intermedia Schrenk & C.A.Mey. var. glauca (Regel) Stapf · E. intermedia Schrenk & C.A.Mey. var. intermedia · E. intermedia Schrenk & C.A.Mey. var. persica Stapf · E. intermedia Schrenk & C.A.Mey. var. tibetica Stapf · E. intermixta (Intermixed Jointfir) · E. kaschgarica · E. kokanica · E. laristanica · E. lepidosperma · E. likiangensis (Ephedra) · E. likiangensis f. mairei · E. lomatolepis · E. ma-huang · E. macedonica
Bibliography
- Blumenthal, M. & P. King. 1995. Herbalgram. 34:22–27.
- Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959–. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. (F China)
- Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934–1964. Flora SSSR. (F USSR)
- Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2. (Ency CNatIn)
- McGuffin, M. et al., eds. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. (Herbs Commerce ed2)
- Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994–. Flora of China (English edition). (F ChinaEng)
- Benson, L. D. 1943. Revisions of status of southwestern trees and shrubs. Amer. J. Bot. 30: 230--240.
- Cutler, H. C. 1939. Monograph of the North American species of the genus Ephedra. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 26: 373--427.
- Mussayev, I. 1978. On geography and phylogeny of some representatives of the genus Ephedra. Bot. Zurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 63: 523--543. [In Russian.]
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Notes
Contributors
- "Ephedra equisetina". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 100. Published by Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- MBLWHOI Library: Universal Biological Index and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 17, 2008.
- USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 27, 2008)
- World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2669894
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-332918
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13730903
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:383388-1
- GRIN Nomen Number: 15221
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 505856
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 383388-1
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: EPEQ2
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 37306
