Ephedra sinica

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Habitat:

Waste and sandy places, plains, mountain slopes; 700-1600 m.

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IUCN Red List Assessment:
Red List Category

LC
Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version

3.1

Year Assessed

2011

Assessor/s

Bell, A. & Bachman, S.

Reviewer/s

Hilton-Taylor, C. & Lutz, M.L.

Contributor/s

Justification

E. sinica (Ma Huang) occurs over a large area in Central Asia and is listed as Least Concern. It has been extensively utilized in Chinese herbal medicine for many hundreds of years. Although widely cultivated, the status of wild populations needs to be monitored to understand whether harvesting is a significant threat.
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Sourcehttp://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/201702

Population:

Population

The population size is not known, but it is recorded as dominant in some areas. Reported as occasional in Chita and rare in Buryatia, Russian Federation (Peschkova 2005).

Population Trend

Stable
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Rights holder/AuthorInternational Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Sourcehttp://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/201702

Threats:

Major Threats

Widely used in Chinese herbal medicine, known as Ma Huang. Ma huang is cultivated in China, but wild populations may also be harvested.
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Rights holder/AuthorInternational Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Sourcehttp://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/201702

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions

Known to occur in numerous botanic gardens, although no seed is known to have been collected for ex situ conservation purposes. Its wide range intersects numerous protected areas.
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorInternational Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Sourcehttp://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/201702

Comments:

It seems likely that Ephedra sinica var. pumila Florin, Kongl. Svenska Vetenskapsakad. Handl., ser. 3, 12: 11. 1933, will also be found in China. It differs from var. sinica in its very low growth habit, often curved or involute branches, shorter nodes, and seed cones with only 2 or 3 pairs of bracts. The most appropriate taxonomic rank for this taxon is uncertain. 

 This species has medicinal properties.

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Ephedra sinica:

Ephedra sinica (also known as Chinese ephedra or Ma Huang) is a plant species native to Mongolia, Russia (Buryatiya, Chita, Primorye), and northeastern China (Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi).[1][2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 99, 草麻黄 cao ma huang, Ephedra sinica Stapf, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew. 1927: 133. 1927.

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Sourcehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ephedra_sinica&oldid=652064413

Range Description:

Distributed across southern Siberia (Russian Federation), Mongolia and China. Recorded from 400 m up to 1,600 m.

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Distribution:

Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi [Mongolia]

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Description:

Subshrubs small, to 40 cm, sparsely branched; woody stems short or prostrate; branchlets straight or curved, sometimes slightly involute, internodes (2.5-)3-4(-5.5) cm × ca. 2 mm, shallowly furrowed. Leaves opposite, connate for 1/3-2/3 their length, free part subulate to narrowly triangular, to 5 mm, apex sharply pointed. Pollen cones sessile or pedunculate, solitary or in clusters at nodes, rarely terminal; bracts in 4 pairs, margin very narrow, membranous, apex obtuse or subacute; anthers 7 or 8, sessile or shortly stipitate. Seed cones terminal or axillary, solitary, oblong-ovoid or subglobose, ca. 8 × 6-7 mm at maturity; bracts in 4 pairs, connate for 1/2-3/4 their length, red and fleshy at maturity; integument tube 1-2 mm, straight or slightly curved. Seeds usually 2, black-red or grayish brown, concealed by or equaling bracts. Pollination May-Jun, seed maturity Aug-Sep. 2n = 28*.

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Rights holder/AuthoreFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden
Sourcehttp://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200005521
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