Common Names
Common Names in English:
Ephedra, Ma Huang
Description
Family Ephedraceae
Shrubs
, subshrubs
, or herbs, dioecious, rarely monoecious; stems erect
, procumbent
, or occasionally climbing
, jointed
, much branched, photosynthetic; branchlets
opposite or whorled
, green, terete
, longitudinally grooved
. Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3, scalelike, basally connate
and reduced to membranous sheaths
, generally ephemeral
, mostly not photosynthetic; resin canals absent. Cones terminal
or axillary
, ovoid
or ellipsoid
. Pollen cones solitary or clustered at nodes, each cone composed of membranous bracts arranged in 2-8 decussate pairs or whorls of 3; proximal
bracts empty; each distal bract subtending a male flower composed of 2 basally fused, orbicular
or obovate
scales
(false perianth) ; anthers
sessile or stipitate
on staminal
column. Seed cones opposite or in whorls of 3 or 4 at nodes, each cone composed of overlapping bracts; bracts arranged in 2-10 decussate pairs or whorls of 3, red and fleshy
at maturity (rarely brown and membranous), proximal bracts empty, most distal bracts subtending
an axillary female flower composed of a pair of fused, leathery scales (false perianth) enclosing ovule with a single membranous integument prolonged into a slender, tubular
micropyle. Seeds 1 or 2(or 3) per cone. Cotyledons 2. Germination epigeal. 2n = 14*, ?24*, 28*, ?36*, 56*.
One genus and ca.
40 species; arid
regions of E and N Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America; 14 species (two endemic) in China.Liguo Fu, Yong-fu Yu & Harald Riedl "Ephedraceae". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 97. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
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
Habit: Evergreen .
Flowers: Bloom Period: April, May. • Flower Color: green
Size/Age/Growth
Size: 4-6' tall.
Biology
Growth
Culture: Space 24-36" apart.
Soil: Minimum pH: 7.9 • Maximum pH: 8.5
Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .
Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High
Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Gnetopsida
()
- Order:
Gnetales
()
- T.m. Fries, 1891
- Family:
Ephedraceae
()
- Dumortier, 1829, Nom. Cons.
- Mormon-Tea Family
- 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:
sinensis
- Botanical name: - Ephedra sinensis
- Specific epithet:
sinensis
- Genus:
Ephedra
(
- Family:
Ephedraceae
(
- Order:
Gnetales
(
- Class:
Gnetopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Similar Species
Members of the genus Ephedra
There are approximately 179 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
- Cheng Ching-yung. 1978. Ephedraceae. In: Cheng Wan-chün & Fu Li-kuo, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 7: 468-489.
- 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
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed April 6, 2007.
Identifiers
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 978921
