Difference between revisions of "Ephedra"

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Ephedra (ancient Greek name, used by Pliny for the horse-tail). Gnetaceae. Woody subjects, rarely cultivated; usually found only in botanical collections, although the scarlet fruits of some species are very attractive.
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Usually low much-branched shrubs, often procumbent and sometimes climbing, the green branches resembling much those of Equisetum, bearing minute, scale-like, sheathing lvs. in distant pairs or whorls: fls. dioecious, in small aments, forming usually peduncled axillary clusters; staminate fl. with a 2-4-lobed perianth and with the 2-8 stamens united into a column; pistillate fl. with an urceolate perianth, including a naked ovule, developing into a nutlet; in some species the bracts of the ament become fleshy, and form a berry-like syncarp.—About 30 species from S. Eu., N. Afr., Asia and in Trop. Amer. Latest monograph by O. Stapf, in Denkschr. Akad. Wissensch. Wien., vol. 56 (1889), (in German and Latin). Curious-looking, usually low shrubs, with pale green apparently leafless branchlets, much resembling those of the horse-tail and with inconspicuous fls., but fr. in some species decorative, berry-like and scarlet. They are but rarely grown, and most of them are tender; half- hardy N. are E. distachya, E. foliata, E. nevadensis, E. trifurca. They can be used for covering dry, sandy banks or rocky slopes. Prop, is by seeds or by suckers and layers.
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E. altissima, Desf. Climbing shrub, to 20 ft., green: lvs to 1 in. long: aments paniculate or solitary; fls. with 2-3 stamens: pistillate fls. 1-2: fr. berry-like, ovoid, ⅓ in. long, scarlet. N. Afr. B.M. 7070. G.C. 111.7:792.—K. distachya, Linn. (E. vulgaris, Linn.). Low, often procumbent, 1-3 ft., pale or bluish green: lvs. one-twelveth in. long: aments usually clustered, staminate oblong: fls. with about 8 stamens, pistillate 2-fld.: fr. berry-like. S. Eu., W. Asia. R.F.G. 11:809. Var. monostachya, Stapf. Aments usually solitary.—E. foliata, Boiss. (E. kokanica, Regel). Procumbent or erect, to 15 ft., bright or bluish green: lvs. to 1 in. Long: aments usually clustered, ovate; staminate fls. with 3—1 sessile stamens; pistillate 2-fld.: fr. berry-like. W. Asia.—E. kokanica, Regel=E. foliata.—E. nebrodeneis. Tineo. Erect, with rigid, pale green branches: lvs. ⅛ in. long: aments solitary or few; staminate globular; pistillate 2-fld.: fr. berry-like. Medit. region to Himalayas.—E. nevadensis, Wats. Erect, 2-3 ft., with pale or bluish green branches: lvs. ⅛ in.: aments usually solitary; staminate ovate, 6-8-fld.; pistillate 2-fld.: fr. dry, with ovate bracts. Calif., New Mex.—E. trifiirca, Torr. Erect, with rigid, yellowish or pale green branches: lvs. in 3's, connate, about ⅛ in. long; aments solitary; pistillate 1-fld.: fr. dry, the roundish bracts with transparent margins. Ariz. to Colo.—E.vulgaris, Linn=E. distachya. Alfred Rehder.
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Latest revision as of 16:59, 21 September 2009


Read about Ephedra in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

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The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Ephedra
Ephedra distachya in France
Ephedra distachya in France
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Gnetophyta
Class: Gnetopsida
Order: Ephedrales
Family: Ephedraceae
Genus: Ephedra
L.

Species
See text.

This article is about the genus Ephedra. For the use of the plant in medicine, see Ephedra.

Ephedra is a genus of gymnosperm shrubs, the only genus in the family Ephedraceae and order Ephedrales. These plants occur in dry climates over a wide area mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, across southern Europe, north Africa, southwest and central Asia, southwestern North America, and, in the Southern Hemisphere, in South America south to Patagonia. They are also called Joint-pine, Jointfir, or Mormon-tea. The Chinese name is 麻黄, má huáng, which means "yellow hemp". Ephedra is also sometimes called sea grape (from the French raisin de mer), although that is also a common name for Coccoloba uvifera.

Medical Uses

Main article: Ephedra

Plants of the Ephedra genus, including E. sinica and others, have traditionally been used by indigenous people for a variety of medicinal purposes, including treatment of asthma, hay fever, and the common cold.[1] They have also been proposed as a candidate for the Soma plant of Indo-Iranian religion. The alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are active constituents of E. sinica and other members of the genus. These compounds are sympathomimetics with stimulant and decongestant qualities and are related chemically to the amphetamines.

Species

The following list of species is from the Gymnosperm Database page for Ephedra.

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  1. ↑ Abourashed E, El-Alfy A, Khan I, Walker L (2003). "Ephedra in perspective--a current review". Phytother Res 17 (7): 703-12. PMID 12916063. 
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