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Ephedraceae FAMILY Least Concern

Ephedra aphylla

Ephedra aphylla

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Ephedra species are mainly temperate to subtropical plants, native to arid and semi-arid regions and are also found in seasonally dry habitats such as Mediterranean climates. They are often found at moderate to high elevations, especially when they occur in tropical regions. Requires a sunny position in a freely-draining soil. It grows well in dry soils and is very drought tolerant once established[1]. This species is considered to be a native weed in Egypt[2]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required. Plants require a good summer in order to fully ripen their wood - this will encourage good flowering and fruiting the following summer. This species, and Ephedra foeminea Forssk., are the only two insect-pollinated species of Ephedra, the pollinators being attracted by nectar droplets exuded by both male and female flowers. All other Ephedra species are wind-pollinated, likely an adaptation to their windy, semiarid habitats[3].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a greenhouse[1]. It can also be sown in spring in a greenhouse in a sandy compost[PFAF]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in the spring or early summer after the last expected frosts and give some protection in their first winter[PFAF]. Division in spring or autumn[4]. Layering. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Ephedra+aphylla>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  3. [3]The Gymnosperm Database — http://www.conifers.org/index.htm ↩︎A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms.
  4. [4]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  5. [5]Larvicidal Activity in Desert Plants of the Negev and Bedouin Market Plant Products — Sathiyamoorthy P. et al · 1997 · https://doi.org/10.1076/phbi.35.4.265.13314 · ISBN 0925-1618 ↩︎
  6. [6]In vitro anticancer, anti‑inflammatory, and antioxidant potentials of Ephedra aphylla — Wajdy Al‑Awaida et al · 2018 ↩︎
  7. [7]The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants — Chevallier. A. · Dorling Kindersley. London · 1996 · ISBN 9-780751-303148 ↩︎An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
  8. [8]Revisión Taxonómica y Distribución Geográfica de Ephedra (Ephedraceae) en México — Villanueva-Almanza L. & Fonseca R.M. · 2011 ↩︎
  9. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎