Ephedra fragilis explained

Ephedra fragilis, commonly named the joint pine, is a species of Ephedra that is native to the western Mediterranean region of southern Europe and Northern Africa, and from Madeira and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Its habitats are rocky hills and stone walls, where it grows to 2m tall.^[4]

Taxonomy

The plant was originally described by René Louiche Desfontaines in 1799 and placed in section Pseudobaccatae (=sect. Ephedra sect. Ephedra), "tribe" Scandentes by Otto Stapf in 1889.

In 1996 Robert A. Price classified E. fragilis in section Ephedra without recognizing a tribe.^[5]

Subspecies

1. Ephedra fragilis subsp. cossonii (Stapf) Maire - Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara
2. Ephedra fragilis subsp. fragilis - Spain, Portugal, Balearic Islands, Sicily, Calabria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Madeira, Canary Islands

Conservation

Ephedra fragilis is a Least Concern species on the IUCN Red List.^[6]

Notes and References

1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=332930 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
2. Dobignard, A. & Chatelain, C. (2011). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 3: 1-449. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
3. http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/index1.php?scientific-name=ephedra+fragilis Altervista Flora Italiana, Efedra fragile, Ephedra fragilis Desf.
4. http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ephedra+fragilis PFAF Plant Database — Ephedra fragilis
5. Price, R. A. (1996). Systematics of the Gnetales: A review of morphological and molecular evidence. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 157(6): S40-S49.
6. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/201689/0 IUCN Red List: Ephedra fragilis (joint pine)