Ephedra regeliana

Florin 1933

Common names

细子麻黄 Xi zi ma huang [Chinese] (Fu et al. 1999).

Taxonomic notes

Syn. Ephedra monosperma Gmelin ex C. A. Meyer. var. disperma Regel.; Ephedra pulvinaris V.A. Nikitin. Type described from (Soviet) Central Asia (Ali and Qaiser 1987).

Description

Sub-shrub up to 8(-15) cm tall, lacking conspicuous, woody stems above ground, only with several woody basal branches 1-2 cm diameter. Main branches usually inconspicuous; branchlets clustered at nodes, radially arranged, smooth, slender and short, ca. 1 mm in diameter, internodes 1-2(-3) cm, apex slightly curved. Leaves opposite, connate for 1/2-2/3 their length, apex acute or slightly blunt. Pollen cones usually solitary or 2 or 3 whorled at nodes of branchlets, ellipsoid, 2-6 × 2-4 mm; bracts in 4-6(-8) pairs; staminal column exserted at apex, with 6 to 8 shortly stipitate anthers. Seed cones opposite at nodes or clustered at apex of branchlets, ovoid or broadly ovoid, ca. 5 × 3-4 mm at maturity; bracts usually in 3 pairs, apical pair connate for ca. 5/6 their length or more, red and fleshy at maturity; integument tube 1-1.5(-2.5) mm long, straight. Seeds (1-)2, glossy, narrowly ovoid, 3-4.5 × 1.5-2 mm, concealed by bracts. Berry globose, red. Pollination Apr-May, seed maturity Jul-Aug. 2n = 14* (Ali and Qaiser 1987, Fu et al. 1999).

Distribution and Ecology

Afghanistan, N India, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and China: Xinjiang; at 700-3,800 m elevation, on rocky slopes, flood lands and sandy places (Fu et al. 1999).

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2023.03.03.

Ethnobotany

Observations

See the observations on iNaturalist, accessed 2021.12.30.

Remarks

Citations

Ali, S.I. and M. Qaiser (eds.). 1987. Flora of Pakistan. http://www.efloras.org.

Florin. 1933. Kongl. Svenska Vetenskapsakad. Handl., Ser. 3, 12(1): 17. (Fig. 7, A, B). [not available online]

See also

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