Ephedra minuta

Florin 1927

Common names

矮麻黄 ai ma huang (Chinese) (Fu et al. 1999).

Taxonomic notes

Syn.: Ephedra minuta var. dioeca C.Y. Cheng (Fu et al. 1999).

E. minuta and E. likiangensis, together, are sister to the remaining species in the Asian clade of Ephedra (Rydin and Korall 2009).

"H. Riedl notes that the Chinese plants described here do not correspond well with Florin's original description of Ephedra minuta. Most important is the difference in the number of bracts in male cones: 3-6 pairs here vs. 1 or 2 pairs according to Florin. Other characters described differently are the presence or absence of monoecious plants, length of leaves, and color of seeds. Further study is required to ascertain whether the Chinese plants are truly E. minuta" (Fu et al. 1999).

Description

"Subshrubs small, 5-25 cm, dioecious (perhaps rarely monoecious); woody stems short or absent; branchlets erect or slightly spreading, dark green, prominently furrowed, internodes 1.5-3 cm × 1.2-1.5 mm. Leaves opposite, to 4.5 mm, connate for 1/3-2/3 their length, apex sharply pointed, recurved. Pollen cones borne mainly on distal part of branchlets, solitary or opposite at nodes, sessile or rarely pedunculate (peduncle 0-1 cm); bracts in 1 or 2 pairs, connate for ca. 1/4 their length; staminal column exserted, anthers 6-8, sessile. Seed cones usually solitary, terminal on short, lateral branches arising mainly from proximal part of primary branches, rarely terminal also on longer branches, subsessile or shortly pedunculate, oblong or oblong-ovoid at maturity; bracts in 2 or 3 pairs, apical pair much longer than others and connate for ca. 1/2 their length, red, fleshy, and often pruinose at maturity; integument tube 0.5-1 mm, straight. Seeds 1 or 2, purplish black, 6-8(-10) × 2-3 mm, usually exserted (perhaps rarely concealed by bracts), pruinose, apex acuminate. Pollination May-Jul, seed maturity Aug-Sep. 2n = 14" (Fu et al. 1999).

Distribution and Ecology

China: the mountains of Qinghai and Sichuan at 2000-4800 m elevation (Fu et al. 1999).

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2023.03.03.

Ethnobotany

"This species has medicinal properties" (Fu et al. 1999).

Observations

See the observations on iNaturalist, accessed 2021.12.30.

Remarks

Citations

Florin. 1927. Acta Horti Gothoburgensis 3:8. [not available online]

Rydin, C., and P. Korall. 2009. Evolutionary relationships in Ephedra (Gnetales), with implications for seed plant phylogeny. International Journal of Plant Sciences 170(8):1031–1043. doi:10.1086/605116.

See also

Species profile at Plants of the World Online, accessed 2021.12.30.