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]
| Ephedra fragilis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Ephedra fragilis Algeciras, Spain | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Gnetophyta |
| Class: | Gnetopsida |
| Order: | Ephedrales |
| Family: | Ephedraceae |
| Genus: | Ephedra |
| Species: | E. fragilis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ephedra fragilis | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Its habitats are rocky hills and stone walls, where it grows to 2m tall.[4]
Taxonomy
editThe 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
- Ephedra fragilis subsp. cossonii (Stapf) Maire - Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara
- Ephedra fragilis subsp. fragilis - Spain, Portugal, Balearic Islands, Sicily, Calabria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Madeira, Canary Islands
Conservation
editEphedra fragilis is a Least Concern species on the IUCN Red List.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Dobignard, A. & Chatelain, C. (2011). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 3: 1-449. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
- ^ Altervista Flora Italiana, Efedra fragile, Ephedra fragilis Desf.
- ^ PFAF Plant Database — Ephedra fragilis . accessed 1.10.2013
- ^ Price, R. A. (1996). Systematics of the Gnetales: A review of morphological and molecular evidence. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 157(6): S40-S49.
- ^ IUCN Red List: Ephedra fragilis (joint pine) . accessed 1.10.2013
External links
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