| Ephedra alata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnosperms |
| Division: | Gnetophyta |
| Class: | Gnetopsida |
| Order: | Ephedrales |
| Family: | Ephedraceae |
| Genus: | Ephedra |
| Species: | E. alata |
| Binomial name | |
| Ephedra alata | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Ephedra alenda(Stapf) Andr. | |
Ephedra alata is a species of Ephedra. These plants are perennial and xerophytic gymnosperm shrubs. [1] [3]
Ephedra alata is a small terrestrial shrub or Chamaephyte. It is found primarily in dry desert environments. It is a dioecious shrub, usually less than 1 meter in height. This shrub has rigid and branched stems. This desert plant species does not possess spines and is non-succulent. The leaves are very short (about 3-6mm) and are united toward the base of the plant, forming leaf sheaths. The leaf arrangements are organized in an opposite pattern, with two leaves per node. The leaves are termed scale leaves because they are thick. This plant is known as conifer because the reproductive portions of this species are organized in yellow-green cones. The male, staminate cones are oval, 3-8mm long, organized in dense clusters, with 3-6 stipitate microsporangia. The female, or ovulate cones are found at the nodes of the stems. The ovulate cones are oval, up to 10mm long, with 4-5 pairs of overlapping yellow bracts surrounding two ovules. The seeds present in the ovulate cones are oval and acuminate in shape. This plant species flowing/fruiting season is between March and May. The roots of this plant are very fibrous and help the plant firmly anchor in sandy soil. [3]
It was originally described by Joseph Decaisne in 1834 and placed in section Alatae , tribe Tropidolepides by Otto Stapf in 1889. In 1996 Robert A. Price left E. alata in section Alatae without recognizing a tribe. [4]
This xerophytic shrub is found in desert and arid environments. It is native to many areas throughout northern Africa, mainly Morocco and the Sahara, and spanning throughout the Middle East. This shrub grows in dense clumps, on sandy calcareous, rocky and clay soils. This species is often found near Wadis or other arid sand dunes, with minimal water. This species grows between the elevations of 50 meters to 1200 meters. The plants diaspores are dispersed by strong winds. These plants fibrous roots help to anchor the plant in shifting sand dunes, control sand erosion and are tolerant to saline soils. The stem of this plant contain alkaloid ephedrine, and other antimicrobial chemicals, which help protect this plant from disease. This species is not considered for conservation concerns as it is wide-ranging across the globe and commonly found in its natural environments. Seeds from this species have been obtained and stored for the Millennium Seed Bank Project because it is unclear if this species population is sustainable with its wide range of uses. [1]
Ephedra alata is used for medicinal purposes. The stem of this plant contain alkaloid ephedrine which is a medicine used for the treatment of asthma and other respiratory ailments. Other chemicals are also present in the plant that are used for medicines. These medicines are used to treat circulatory disorders, kidney disorders, digestive system disorders and eye disorders. The stems and roots of this species is also used for it fibrous characteristic to make string, cords and twine. These portions may also be used for tannins, used in the process of dying or tanning materials. These plants are used for dye by grinding the plant portion, and placing the ground plant portions, with the desired dyed material in boiling water for 1–3 days. These plants are also used for consumption by animals such as camelidae, bovines and caprines. [5]
Ephedra distachya is a shrub in the family Ephedraceae that stands about 25 cm to 50 cm high. The shrub grows in many parts of the world, including southern and central Europe and western and central Asia. Its local names include somlatha.
Ephedra is a medicinal preparation from the plant Ephedra sinica. Several additional species belonging to the genus Ephedra have traditionally been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, and are a possible candidate for the soma plant of Indo-Iranian religion. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine, in which it is referred to as Ma Huang, for more than 2,000 years. Native Americans and Mormon pioneers drank a tea brewed from other Ephedra species, called "Mormon tea" and "Indian tea".
The gymnosperms are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae. The term gymnosperm comes from the composite word in Greek: γυμνόσπερμος, literally meaning 'naked seeds'. The name is based on the unenclosed condition of their seeds. The non-encased condition of their seeds contrasts with the seeds and ovules of flowering plants (angiosperms), which are enclosed within an ovary. Gymnosperm seeds develop either on the surface of scales or leaves, which are often modified to form cones, or solitary as in yew, Torreya, Ginkgo. Gymnosperm lifecycles involve alternation of generations. They have a dominant diploid sporophyte phase and a reduced haploid gametophyte phase which is dependent on the sporophytic phase. The term "gymnosperm" is often used in paleobotany to refer to all non-angiosperm seed plants. In that case, to specify the modern monophyletic group of gymnosperms, the term Acrogymnospermae is sometimes used.
Pinus nigra, the Austrian pine or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to the eastern Mediterranean, on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica and Cyprus, as well as Crimea and in the high mountains of Northwest Africa.
Prumnopitys ferruginea, commonly called miro, is an evergreen coniferous tree which is endemic to New Zealand. Before the genus Prumnopitys was distinguished, it was treated in the related genus Podocarpus as Podocarpus ferrugineus.
Cedrus atlantica, the Atlas cedar, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae, native to the Rif and Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and to the Tell Atlas in Algeria. A majority of the modern sources treat it as a distinct species Cedrus atlantica, but some sources consider it a subspecies of Lebanon cedar.
Juniperus oxycedrus, vernacularly called Cade, cade juniper, prickly juniper, prickly cedar, or sharp cedar, is a species of juniper, native across the Mediterranean region from Algeria and Portugal, north to southern France, east to westernmost Iran, and south to Lebanon and Israel, growing on a variety of rocky sites from sea level up to 1,600 metres in elevation. The specific epithet oxycedrus means "sharp cedar" and this species may have been the original cedar or cedrus of the ancient Greeks.
Juniperus excelsa, commonly called the Greek juniper, is a juniper found throughout the eastern Mediterranean, from northeastern Greece and southern Bulgaria across Turkey to Syria and Lebanon, Jordan, the Caucasus mountains, and southern coast of Crimea.
Juniperus thurifera is a species of juniper native to the mountains of the western Mediterranean region, from southern France across eastern and central Spain to Morocco and locally in northern Algeria.
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius, commonly known as the celerytop pine, is an endemic gymnosperm of Tasmania, Australia. It is widespread and common in Tasmania, with the most abundance in the western highlands. Its ‘leaves’ appear similar to those of a celery plant, hence the common name.
Ephedra is a genus of gymnosperm shrubs. The various species of Ephedra are widespread in many arid regions of the world, ranging across southwestern North America, southern Europe, northern Africa, southwest and central Asia, northern China and western South America. It is the only extant genus in its family, Ephedraceae, and order, Ephedrales, and one of the three living members of the division Gnetophyta alongside Gnetum and Welwitschia.
A strobilus is a structure present on many land plant species consisting of sporangia-bearing structures densely aggregated along a stem. Strobili are often called cones, but some botanists restrict the use of the term cone to the woody seed strobili of conifers. Strobili are characterized by a central axis surrounded by spirally arranged or decussate structures that may be modified leaves or modified stems.
Ephedra viridis, known by the common names green Mormon tea, green ephedra, and Indian tea, is a species of Ephedra. It is indigenous to the Western United States, where it is a member of varied scrub, woodland, desert, and open habitats. It grows at 900–2,300 metres (3,000–7,500 ft) elevations.
Ephedra cutleri, the Navajo ephedra or Cutler's jointfir, is a species of Ephedra that is native to the Southwestern United States.
Ephedra altissima is a species of Ephedra that is native to the western Sahara, and also to the Canary Islands.
Ephedra foliata is a species of gymnosperm in the Ephedraceae family. It is referred to by the common name shrubby horsetail. It is native to North Africa, and Southwest Asia, from Morocco and Mauritania east to Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and Punjab State in India.
Ephedra fragilis, commonly named the joint pine, is a species of Ephedra that is native to the western Mediterranean region of southern Europe and Northern Africa, and from Madeira and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic.
Ephedra nevadensis, commonly known as Nevada ephedra, gray ephedra, Mormon tea and Nevada jointfir, is a species of gymnosperm native to dry areas of western North America.
Ephedra monosperma, also called Ephedra minima or dan zi ma huang, is small shrub in the family of Ephedraceae.
Ephedra coryi, also known as Cory's joint-fir, is a rare, reed-like gymnosperm native to sandy, semi-arid areas of the North American South and Southwest.
