Ephedra pachyclada

Boiss. 1884

Common names

Éphèdre du Sinaï.

Taxonomic notes

Two subspecies, the type and Ephedra pachyclada subsp. sinaica (Riedl) Freitag & Maier-St. (syn.: Ephedra sinaica Riedl).

Description

"Branchlets rigid, whitish and transversely rugose. Tubillus not straight" (Ali and Qaiser 1987).

See Ephedra aphylla for a key to the four Ephedra species of the Sinai.

Distribution and Ecology

Afghanistan, Egypt (Sinai), Iran, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Found at elevations of 120-4800 m, usually in the montane to alpine zones of dry areas, but sometimes associated with shrublands and woodlands. Associated plants include with Pistacia khinjuk, Artemisia spp., and Juniperus/Olea woodlands (Bell and Bachman 2011).

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.

Bell, A. and S. Bachman. 2011. Ephedra pachyclada. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/201673/9161564, accessed 2021.12.31.

Boissier, E. 1884. Flora Orientalis 5:713. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2021.12.31.

See also

Key at the Flora of Pakistan.

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