Ephedra multiflora

Phil. ex Stapf 1889

Common names

Taxonomic notes

Description

Dioecious shrubs, erect, up to 1.5 m tall. Twigs greenish-yellow. Leaves subapiculate, decussate or ternate, dark brown. Pollen cones clustered at the nodes, sessile, bracts decussate or ternate, almost free, barely welded in the lower part, with two lateral wings; anthers sessile, sometimes pedicellate. Seed cones sessile, agglomerated at the nodes, bracts decussate or ternate, free, with two membranous-papyraceous wings, transparent. Seeds 2(-3), obovoid, yellowish (Martínez Carretero 2018).

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

Distribution and Ecology

Chile (Antofagasta) and Argentina (Catamarca to Neuquén), at elevations of 1,000 to 4,000 m in arid areas with few other plants, often in rocky areas, in gravelly soil or on sand dunes (Bell and Bachman 2011).

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2023.03.03.

Ethnobotany

Observations

See the observations on iNaturalist, accessed 2021.12.30.

Some specimens have been collected in protected areas, including the Laguna Brava Reserve, Argentina (Bell and Bachman 2011).

Remarks

The epithet means "multiflowered".

Citations

Bell, A. and S. Bachman. 2011. Ephedra multiflora. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T201699A9168189. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T201699A9168189.en, accessed 2021.12.27.

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.

Stapf, Otto. 1889. Die Arten Der Gattung Ephedra. Akad. Wiss. Wien. Math. Naturwiss. Kl. Denkschr. 56:1-112 (5). Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2021.12.26.

See also

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