Ephedra sinica Stapf

Chinese ephedra (en)

Species

Gymnosperms > Gnetales > Ephedraceae > Ephedra

Characteristics

Subshrubs small, to 40 cm, sparsely branched; woody stems short or prostrate; branchlets straight or curved, sometimes slightly involute, internodes (2.5-)3-4(-5.5) cm × ca. 2 mm, shallowly furrowed. Leaves opposite, connate for 1/3-2/3 their length, free part subulate to narrowly triangular, to 5 mm, apex sharply pointed. Pollen cones sessile or pedunculate, solitary or in clusters at nodes, rarely terminal; bracts in 4 pairs, margin very narrow, membranous, apex obtuse or subacute; anthers 7 or 8, sessile or shortly stipitate. Seed cones terminal or axillary, solitary, oblong-ovoid or subglobose, ca. 8 × 6-7 mm at maturity; bracts in 4 pairs, connate for 1/2-3/4 their length, red and fleshy at maturity; integument tube 1-2 mm, straight or slightly curved. Seeds usually 2, black-red or grayish brown, concealed by or equaling bracts. Pollination May-Jun, seed maturity Aug-Sep. 2n = 28*.
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A small shrub. It has many branches. It grows 20-40 cm high. The branches are green. The leaves are opposite and brown. The pollen cones occur singly. The cones are near the ends of short side branches. The ripe cones are red and fleshy. There are 3 seeds that are oval and 3 sided. These are 5-6 mm long.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support -
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.4
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a cool temperate plant. It grows in semi-desert places and rock-cliffs in NW China. It can grow in arid places. In Inner Mongolia.
More
Deserty areas. Waste and sandy places, plains and mountain slopes at elevations of 700-1600 metres.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-5
Soil texture 4-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 6-10

Usage

The mature female cone is used as a fruit and to refine sugar. The fruit are used for tea.
Uses condiment food medicinal poison species tea
Edible fruits seeds
Therapeutic use Fatigue (fruit), Anti-inflammatory agents (root), Enzyme activators (stem), Antitussive (unspecified), Arthritis (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Bronchitis (unspecified), Cold (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Diaphoretic (unspecified), Edema (unspecified), Febrifuge (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Flu (unspecified), Lung (unspecified), Oliguria (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Sweating (unspecified), Trachitis (unspecified), Typhoid (unspecified), Dyspnea (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Hayfever (unspecified), Night-Sweat (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified), Antineoplastic agents (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Ephedra sinica unspecified picture

Distribution

Ephedra sinica world distribution map, present in Chile, China, and Montenegro

Conservation status

Ephedra sinica threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:383460-1
WFO ID wfo-0000794481
COL ID 6FPBK
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Ephedra ma-huang Ephedra sinica Ephedra flava