''Ephedra'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
gymnosperm
The gymnosperms ( ; ) are a group of woody, perennial Seed plant, seed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include Pinophyta, conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetoph ...
shrub
A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...
s. there were 77 recognized species. The various species of ''Ephedra'' are widespread in many arid regions of the world, ranging across southwestern North America, southern Europe, northern Africa, southwest and central Asia, northern China, and western South America.
[Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]
/ref> It is the only extant genus in its family, Ephedraceae
Ephedraceae is a family of gymnosperms belonging to Gnetophyta, it contains only a single extant genus, ''Ephedra (plant), Ephedra'', as well as a number of extinct genera from the Early Cretaceous.
Taxonomy
File:Eamesia chinensis.png, ''Eame ...
, and order, Ephedrales, and one of the three living members of the division Gnetophyta
Gnetophyta () is a division of plants (alternatively considered the subclass Gnetidae or order Gnetales), grouped within the gymnosperms (which also includes conifers, cycads, and ginkgos), that consists of some 70 species across the three relict ...
alongside '' Gnetum'' and ''Welwitschia
''Welwitschia'' is a monotypic genus of gnetophytes containing only the species ''Welwitschia mirabilis''. It is named after the Austrian botanist Friedrich Welwitsch, who documented the plant in the 1850s. In common use, it is sometimes ref ...
.''
In temperate climates
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...
, most ''Ephedra'' species grow on shores or in sandy soils with direct sun exposure. Common names in English include joint-pine, jointfir, Mormon-tea, or Brigham tea. The Chinese name for ''Ephedra'' species is ''mahuang'' (). ''Ephedra'' is the origin of the name of the stimulant ephedrine
Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and sympathomimetic agent that is often used to prevent hypotension, low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred ...
, which the plants contain in significant concentration.
Description
The family Ephedraceae
Ephedraceae is a family of gymnosperms belonging to Gnetophyta, it contains only a single extant genus, ''Ephedra (plant), Ephedra'', as well as a number of extinct genera from the Early Cretaceous.
Taxonomy
File:Eamesia chinensis.png, ''Eame ...
, of which ''Ephedra'' is the only extant genus, are gymnosperms
The gymnosperms ( ; ) are a group of woody, perennial Seed plant, seed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include Pinophyta, conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetoph ...
, and generally shrubs, sometimes clambering vines, and rarely, small trees. Members of the genus frequently spread by the use of rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...
s.[
The stems are green and photosynthetic.][ The leaves are opposite or whorled. The typical scalelike leaves are fused into a sheath at the base and is often shed soon after development. There are no resin canals.][ Most species have rudimentary leaves without chlorophyll or photosynthesis, but a few, like ''Ephedra altissima'', develop folious leaves also as adults.
The plants are mostly ]dioecious
Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...
, with the pollen strobili in whorls of 1–10, each consisting of a series of decussate[ bracts. The pollen is furrowed. The female strobili also occur in whorls, with bracts which fuse around a single ovule. Fleshy bracts are white (such as in '' Ephedra frustillata'') or red. There are generally 1–2 yellow to dark brown seeds per strobilus.][
]
Taxonomy
The genus ''Ephedra'' was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
,[ and the ]type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
is '' Ephedra distachya''.[ The family, Ephedraceae, was first described in 1829 by Dumortier.][The Gymnosperm database: ''Ephedra''.]
Retrieved 5 July 2019.[
]
Evolutionary history
The oldest known members of the genus are from the Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
around 125 million years ago, with records being known from the Aptian
The Aptian is an age (geology), age in the geologic timescale or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), S ...
-Albian
The Albian is both an age (geology), age of the geologic timescale and a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch/s ...
of Argentina, China, Portugal and the United States. The fossil record of ''Ephedra'' outside of pollen disappears after the Early Cretaceous. Molecular clock
The molecular clock is a figurative term for a technique that uses the mutation rate of biomolecules to deduce the time in prehistory when two or more life forms diverged. The biomolecular data used for such calculations are usually nucleot ...
estimates have suggested that last common ancestor of living ''Ephedra'' species lived much more recently, during the Early Oligocene
The Rupelian is, in the geologic timescale, the older of two age (geology), ages or the lower of two stage (stratigraphy), stages of the Oligocene epoch (geology), Epoch/series (stratigraphy), Series. It spans the time between . It is preceded b ...
around 30 million years ago. However, pollen modified from the ancestral condition of the genus with branched pseudosulci (grooves), which evolved in parallel in the living North American and Asian lineages is known from the Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
, suggesting that the last common ancestor is at least this old.
Species
, Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
History
Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...
accepted the following 77 species:
*'' Ephedra alata'' Decne. – North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
, Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
*'' Ephedra altissima'' Desf. non-Bové (1834), non-Delile (1813), non-Buch (1828) – high-climbing jointfir – North Africa, Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
*'' Ephedra americana'' Humb.
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian ministe ...
& Bonpl. ''ex'' Willd. – Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
, Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
*'' Ephedra antisyphilitica'' Berland ''ex'' C.A.Mey. – clapweed, erect ephedra – Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, Nuevo León
Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...
, Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...
, Chihuahua
*'' Ephedra aphylla'' Forssk. – eastern Mediterranean from Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
and Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
to the Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
* ''Ephedra'' × ''arenicola'' H.C.Cutler – Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
, Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
(hybrid, ''E. cutleri'' × ''E. torreyana'')
*'' Ephedra aspera'' Engelm. ''ex'' S.Watson – boundary ephedra, pitamoreal – Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, Chihuahua, Durango
Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...
, Zacatecas
Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...
, Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales.
It is located in northwest Mexic ...
, Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
, Baja California
Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
*'' Ephedra aurantiaca'' Takht. & Pachom. – Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
, Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...
*'' Ephedra aurea'' Brullo et al.
*'' Ephedra boelckei'' F.A.Roig – Argentina
*'' Ephedra botschantzevii'' Pachom. – Kazakhstan, Tuva
Tuva (; ) or Tyva (; ), officially the Republic of Tyva,; , is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. Tuva lies at the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders the Federal subjects of Russia, federal sub ...
region of Siberia
*'' Ephedra breana'' Phil. – frutilla de campo – Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina
*'' Ephedra brevifoliata'' Ghahr. – Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
*'' Ephedra californica'' S.Watson – California ephedra, California jointfir – California, western Arizona, Baja California
*'' Ephedra chengiae'' Yang & Ferguson
*'' Ephedra chilensis'' C.Presl – pingo-pingo - Chile, Argentina
*'' Ephedra compacta'' Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...
– widespread in much of Mexico
*'' Ephedra coryi'' E.L.Reed – Cory's ephedra – Texas, New Mexico
*'' Ephedra cutleri'' Peebles
Peebles () is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in ...
– Navajo ephedra, Cutler's ephedra, Cutler Mormon-tea, Cutler's jointfir – Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming
*'' Ephedra dahurica'' Turcz. – Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
, Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
*'' Ephedra dawuensis'' Y.Yang – Sichuan
Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
*'' Ephedra distachya'' L. – joint-pine, jointfir – southern Europe and central Asia from Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
to Kazakhstan
*'' Ephedra × eleutherolepis'' V.A.Nikitin – Tajikistan
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...
(hybrid ''E. intermedia'' × ''E. strobilacea'')
*'' Ephedra equisetina'' Bunge – ma huang – Caucasus, Central Asia, Siberia, Mongolia, Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
, Hebei
Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
, Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
, Ningxia
Ningxia, officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region in Northwestern China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1954 but was later separated from Gansu in 1958 and reconstituted as an autonomous ...
, Qinghai
Qinghai is an inland Provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. It is the largest provinces of China, province of China (excluding autonomous regions) by area and has the third smallest population. Its capital and largest city is Xin ...
, Shanxi
Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
, Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
*'' Ephedra fasciculata'' A.Nelson – Arizona ephedra, Arizona jointfir, desert Mormon-tea – Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah
*'' Ephedra fedtschenkoae'' Paulsen
Paulsen is a Danes, Danish, Norwegians, Norwegian and Germans, German patronymic
surname, from the given name Paul (name), Paul prefix, of Latin origin, itself derived from ''Paulus'', meaning "small". People with the name Paulsen include:
* Aaro ...
– Central Asia, Siberia, Mongolia, Xinjiang
*'' Ephedra foeminea'' Forssk. – North Africa, Somalia, Balkans, Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, Middle East; naturalized in Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, officially the County of Santa Barbara (), is a county located in Southern California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa M ...
of California
*'' Ephedra foliata'' Boiss. ''ex'' C.A.Mey. – shrubby horsetail – North Africa, Somalia, Middle East, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
*'' Ephedra fragilis'' Desf. – joint pine – Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Madeira
Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
*'' Ephedra frustillata'' Miers – Patagonian ephedra – Chile, Argentina
*'' Ephedra funerea'' Coville & C.V.Morton – Death Valley ephedra, Death Valley jointfir – California, Arizona, Nevada
*'' Ephedra gerardiana'' Wall. ''ex'' Klotzsch & Garcke – Gerard's jointfir, shan ling ma huang – Himalayas, Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
, Yunnan
Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
, Siberia, Central Asia
*'' Ephedra gracilis'' Phil. ex Stapf
*'' Ephedra holoptera'' Riedl – Iran
*'' Ephedra intermedia'' Schrenk & C.A.Mey. – zhong ma huang – China, Siberia, Central Asia, Himalayas, Iran, Pakistan
*'' Ephedra kardangensis'' P.Sharma & P.L.Uniyal – western Himalayas
*'' Ephedra khurikensis'' P.Sharma & P.L.Uniyal – western Himalayas
*'' Ephedra laristanica'' Assadi – Iran
*'' Ephedra likiangensis'' Florin – Guizhou
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption =
, image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg
, mapsize = 275px
, map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province
, map_caption = Map s ...
, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan
*'' Ephedra lomatolepis'' Schrenk – Kazakhstan, Tuva region of Siberia
*'' Ephedra major'' Host
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
* Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County
* Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica
People
* ...
– Mediterranean, Middle East, Central Asia; from Canary Islands to Kashmir
*'' Ephedra milleri'' Freitag & Maier-St. – Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
, Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
*'' Ephedra minuta'' Florin – Qinghai, Sichuan
*'' Ephedra monosperma'' J.G.Gmel. ''ex'' C.A.Mey. – dan zi ma huang – Siberia, Mongolia, much of China including Tibet and Xinjiang
*'' Ephedra multiflora'' Phil. ''ex'' Stapf – Chile, Argentina
*'' Ephedra nevadensis'' S.Watson – Nevada ephedra, Nevada jointfir, Nevada Mormon-tea – Baja California, California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
*'' Ephedra ochreata'' Miers – Argentina
*'' Ephedra oxyphylla'' Riedl – Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
*'' Ephedra pachyclada'' Boiss. – Middle East from Sinai and Yemen to Pakistan
*'' Ephedra pangiensis'' Rita Singh & P.Sharma
*'' Ephedra pedunculata'' Engelm. ''ex'' S.Watson – vine ephedra, vine jointfir – Texas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León, Zacatecas
*'' Ephedra pentandra'' Pachom. – Iran
*'' Ephedra procera'' Fisch. & C.A.Mey. − Iran, Caucasus
*'' Ephedra przewalskii'' Stapf – Central Asia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Tibet
*'' Ephedra pseudodistachya'' Pachom. – Siberia, Mongolia
*'' Ephedra regeliana'' Florin – xi zi ma huang – Central Asia, Siberia, Pakistan, Xinjiang
*'' Ephedra rhytidosperma'' Pachom., syn. ''E. lepidosperma'' C.Y.Cheng – Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Mongolia
*'' Ephedra rituensis'' Y.Yang, D.Z.Fu & G.H.Zhu – Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet
*'' Ephedra rupestris'' Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
– Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina
*'' Ephedra sarcocarpa'' Aitch. & Hemsl. – Pakistan, Afghanistan
*'' Ephedra saxatilis'' (Stapf) Royle ex Florin
*'' Ephedra sinica'' Stapf – cao ma huang, Chinese ephedra – Mongolia, Siberia, Primorye, Manchuria
*'' Ephedra somalensis'' Freitag & Maier-St. – Somalia, Eritrea
*'' Ephedra stipitata'' Biswas & Rita Singh
*'' Ephedra strobilacea'' Bunge – Iran, Central Asia
*'' Ephedra strongylensis'' Brullo et al.
*'' Ephedra sumlingensis'' P.Sharma & P.L.Uniyal – western Himalayas
*'' Ephedra tilhoana'' Maire – Chad
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...
*'' Ephedra torreyana'' S.Watson – Torrey's ephedra, Torrey's jointfir, Torrey's Mormon-tea, cañutillo – Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Chihuahua
*'' Ephedra transitoria'' Riedl – Iraq, Syria, Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
, Saudi Arabia
*'' Ephedra triandra'' Tul. − Bolivia, Argentina
*'' Ephedra trifurca'' Torrey ''ex'' S.Watson – longleaf ephedra, longleaf jointfir, longleaf Mormon-tea, popotilla, teposote – California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Chihuahua, Sonora, Baja California
*'' Ephedra trifurcata'' Zöllner
*'' Ephedra tweedieana'' C.A.Mey. – Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay
*'' Ephedra viridis'' Coville – green ephedra, green Mormon-tea – California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Oregon
*'' Ephedra vvedenskyi'' Pachom. – Iran, Caucasus, Turkmenistan
*'' Ephedra yangthangensis'' Prabha Sharma & Rita Singh – Yangthang to Ka, Leo, Nako, Chango, Chulling, Sumdo, Hoorling and Lira of Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh
Distribution
The genus is found worldwide, in desert regions, but not in Australia.[
]
Ecology
Ephedraceae are adapted to extremely arid regions, growing often in high sunny habitats, and occur as high as 4000 m above sea level in both the Andes
The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
and the Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
.[ They make up a significant part of the North American ]Great Basin
The Great Basin () is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets to the ocean, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja Californi ...
sage brush ecosystem.
Today, Ephedra plants are found no further south than 3°N in the Saharo-Arabian zone. However, researchers have discovered evidence of this drought-resistant plant living over 1,000 km further south at Oldupai Gorge around one million years ago, based on fossil pollen, preserved tap roots, and supporting indicators of arid conditions.
Human use
Remains of a buried Neanderthal
Neanderthals ( ; ''Homo neanderthalensis'' or sometimes ''H. sapiens neanderthalensis'') are an extinction, extinct group of archaic humans who inhabited Europe and Western and Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene, Middle to Late Plei ...
found at Shanidar cave in Iraqi Kurdistan, over 50,000 years old was found associated with ''Ephedra'' pollen among those of other plants. While some authors have suggested that these represent plant remains deliberately buried alongside the Neanderthal, other authors have suggested that natural agents like bees may have been responsible for the accumulation of pollen.
In addition, archaeological remains of ''Ephedra'' dating back 15,000 years have been discovered at Taforalt Cave in Morocco. Fossil cones of ''Ephedra'' were found concentrated in the cemetery area, specifically within a human burial.
The ''Ephedra'' alkaloid
Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids.
Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...
s, ephedrine
Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and sympathomimetic agent that is often used to prevent hypotension, low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred ...
and pseudoephedrine
Pseudoephedrine, sold under the brand name Sudafed among others, is a sympathomimetic medication which is used as a decongestant to treat nasal congestion. It has also been used off-label for certain other indications, like treatment of lo ...
constituents of ''E. sinica'' and other members of the genus have sympathomimetic and decongestant
A decongestant, or nasal decongestant, is a type of pharmaceutical drug that is used to relieve nasal congestion in the upper respiratory tract. The active ingredient in most decongestants is either pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine (the latter o ...
qualities, and have been used as dietary supplement
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients eithe ...
s, mainly for weight loss
Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other conn ...
. The drug ephedrine is used to prevent low blood pressure during spinal anesthesia
Spinal anaesthesia (or spinal anesthesia), also called spinal block, subarachnoid block, intradural block and intrathecal block, is a form of neuraxial regional anaesthesia involving the injection of a local anaesthetic with or without an opioi ...
.
In the United States, ephedra supplements were banned from the market in the early 21st century due to serious safety risks.[ Plants of the genus ''Ephedra'', including '' E. sinica'' and others, were used in ]traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...
for treating headache and respiratory infection
Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are infectious diseases involving the lower or upper respiratory tract. An infection of this type usually is further classified as an upper respiratory tract infection (URI or URTI) or a lower respiratory tra ...
s, but there is no scientific evidence they are effective or safe for these purposes.[
Ephedra has also had a role as a precursor in the clandestine manufacture of ]methamphetamine
Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...
.
Adverse effects
Alkaloids obtained from the species of ''Ephedra'' used in herbal medicines, such as pseudoephedrine
Pseudoephedrine, sold under the brand name Sudafed among others, is a sympathomimetic medication which is used as a decongestant to treat nasal congestion. It has also been used off-label for certain other indications, like treatment of lo ...
and ephedrine, can cause cardiovascular events.[ These events have been associated with arrhythmias, palpitations, tachycardia and myocardial infarction.][ ]Caffeine
Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine chemical classification, class and is the most commonly consumed Psychoactive drug, psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic (wakefulness pr ...
consumption in combination with ephedrine has been reported to increase the risk of these cardiovascular events.[
]
Economic botany and alkaloid content
The earliest uses of ''Ephedra'' species (mahuang) for specific illnesses date back to 5000 BC. Ephedrine
Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and sympathomimetic agent that is often used to prevent hypotension, low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred ...
and its isomers
In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula – that is, the same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. ''Isomerism'' refers to the existence or possibili ...
were isolated in 1881 from '' Ephedra distachya'' and characterized by the Japanese organic chemist
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...
Nagai Nagayoshi. His work to access ''Ephedra's'' active ingredients to isolate a pure pharmaceutical
Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...
substance led to the systematic production of semi-synthetic derivative
In mathematics, the derivative is a fundamental tool that quantifies the sensitivity to change of a function's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is t ...
s thereof and is still relevant today. Three species, '' Ephedra sinica'', ''Ephedra vulgaris'', and to a lesser extent '' Ephedra equisetina'', are commercially grown in Mainland China
"Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
as a source for natural ephedrines and isomers for use in pharmaceuticals
Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...
. ''E. sinica'' and ''E. distachya'' usually carry six optically active
Optical rotation, also known as polarization rotation or circular birefringence, is the rotation of the orientation of the plane of polarization about the optical axis of linearly polarized light as it travels through certain materials. Circul ...
phenylethylamines, mostly ephedrine
Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and sympathomimetic agent that is often used to prevent hypotension, low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred ...
and pseudoephedrine
Pseudoephedrine, sold under the brand name Sudafed among others, is a sympathomimetic medication which is used as a decongestant to treat nasal congestion. It has also been used off-label for certain other indications, like treatment of lo ...
with minor amounts of norephedrine
Phenylpropanolamine (PPA), sold under many brand names, is a sympathomimetic agent used as a decongestant and appetite suppressant. It was once common in prescription drug, prescription and over-the-counter drug, over-the-counter cough and cold ...
, norpseudoephedrine as well as the three methylated
Methylation, in the chemical sciences, is the addition of a methyl group on a substrate, or the substitution of an atom (or group) by a methyl group. Methylation is a form of alkylation, with a methyl group replacing a hydrogen atom. These term ...
analogs. Reliable information on the total alkaloid content of the crude drug is difficult to obtain. Based on HPLC
High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), formerly referred to as high-pressure liquid chromatography, is a technique in analytical chemistry used to separate, identify, and quantify specific components in mixtures. The mixtures can origina ...
analyses in industrial settings, the concentrations of total alkaloids in dried ''Herba Ephedra'' ranged between 1 and 4%, and in some cases up to 6%.
For a review of the alkaloid
Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids.
Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...
distribution in different species of the genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''Ephedra'' see Jian-fang Cui (1991). Other American and European species of ''Ephedra'', e.g. '' Ephedra nevadensis'' (Nevada Mormon tea) have not been systematically assayed; based on unpublished field investigations, they contain very low levels (less than 0.1%) or none at all.[Hegnauer R. (1962) "Chemotaxonomie der Pflanzen. I". Birkhauser Verlag, Basel; Switzerland, pp. 460–462 as cited in ]
References
External links
''Ephedra viridis'' (Plants for a Future Database)
Ephedra fact sheet
NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Ephedrea (Evidence and dosing)
, Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...
Ephedra – Clinical summary and mechanism of action
MSKCC
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a oncology, cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute–NCI-designated Cancer Center, designated Comprehen ...
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Ephedraceae of Mongolia in FloraGREIF
{{Taxonbar, from=Q838000
Gymnosperm genera
Medicinal plants
Soma (drink)
Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine
Aptian genus first appearances
Extant Aptian first appearances