Ephedra boelckei

F.A.Roig (1984)

Common names

Parron, pichana de torro (Saenz 1994).

Taxonomic notes

Assigned to Section Alatae.

Description

Dioecious shrubs with 3-5 trunks, or a short tree up to 5 m tall with a single trunk (one of the few species of Ephedra that can grow as a tree). Old stems have fibrous bark shedding in longitudinal strips. Leaves binate or ternate, fused up to 1/2 - 1/3 of their length, attenuate towards the apex, coriaceous with a hyaline margin. Pollen cones globose, two per node, bracts oval or orbiculate, anthers pedicellate. Seed cones globose with 5-6 whorls of 3(-4) bracts, scarious, with a narrow stalklike base, translucent on the margins. Seeds 3(-4), ovoid apiculate, keeled (Martínez Carretero 2018).

Martínez Carretero (2018) also gives a key to the six Argentine species of Ephedra.

Distribution and Ecology

Argentina, at elevations of 490-1470 m; it is only known from a small number of roadside collections, often near sand dunes or on steep banks (Bell and Bachman 2011).

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Ethnobotany

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Observations

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Remarks

The epithet honors Osvaldo Boelcke (1920-1990), Argentinian plant collector and botanist.

Citations

Bell, A. and S. Bachman. 2011. Ephedra boelckei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/201700/9168538, accessed 2021.12.30.

Martínez Carretero, Eduardo. 2018. Ephedraceae Dumort. in Flora de Mendoza, Multequina 27: Fascículo 10, FM 1-9. Available: https://www.redalyc.org/jatsRepo/428/42857911008/42857911008.pdf, accessed 2021.12.26.

Roig, F. A. 1984. Ephedra boelckei (Ephedraceae), nueva especie sudamericana de la seccion Alatae Stapf. Parodiana 3(1):11-19. [not available online]

Saenz, A. A. 1994. Ephedraceae. 1:40–43 in R. Kiesling (ed.) Fl. San Juan. Vázquez Mazzini Editores, Buenos Aires.

See also

Species profile at Plants of the World Online, accessed 2021.12.29.