Ephedra major

Host 1831

Common names

Éphèdre des monts Nébrodes, Grand éphédra, Grand éphèdre, Éphèdre de Villars [French].

Taxonomic notes

Synonymy:

• Ephedra atlantica Andr.;
• Ephedra equisetiformis Webb & Berthel.;
• Ephedra graeca C.A. Mey.;
• Ephedra nebrodensis Tineo;
• Ephedra nebrodensis subsp. suggarica (Maire) Breistr. ex Greuter & Burdet;
• Ephedra scoparia Lange;
• Ephedra villarsii Gren. & Godr.;
• Ephedra vulgaris Willk.

Description

Erect shrubs up to 2 m tall. Shoots pubescent. Leaves up to 3 mm long, leathery. Pollen cones without stalk, globose; seed cones solitary, petiolated, usually with 2 pairs of bracts. Fruit 5-7 mm long, red or yellow, seeds ovate. Heartwood red-brown (Vidakovic 1991).

Distribution and Ecology

The western and central Mediterranean region (Vidakovic 1991).

The IUCN regards this taxon as synonymous with E. pentandra, so conservation assessments for the two taxa are conflated.

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2023.03.03.

Ethnobotany

Observations

See the observations on iNaturalist, accessed 2021.12.30.

Remarks

Citations

Host, N. T. 1831. Flora Austriaca. Vienna: C.F. Beck. V. 2, p. 671. Available: Google Books, accessed 2021.12.31.

See also

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