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Ephedraceae FAMILY Least Concern

Ephedra rupestris

Ephedra rupestris

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

Many species in this genus contain phenylethylamine alkaloids (e.g. ephedrine, pseudoephedrine). These compounds have stimulant properties and are effective medications in the treatment of a number of conditions. However, they do also have potential side effects and are contraindicated in a number of conditions including anxiety, anorexia, bulimia, diabetes, glaucoma, hypertension, thyrotoxicosis[1].

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[2]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruits and seeds are required. Plants require a good summer in order to fully ripen their wood - this will encourage good flowering and fruiting the following summer.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse Division Layering Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Ephedra+rupestris>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]Ephedra foeminea Forssk. — 2023 · https://florapal.org/plant/ephedra-foeminea/ ↩︎
  2. [2]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.
  3. [3]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.
  4. [4]Ethnobotany of the Andes — Bussmann R.W. & Paniagua-Zambrana N.Y. (Editors) · Springer Nature; Switzerland · 2020 · https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28933-1 · ISBN 978-3-030-28932-4 ↩︎
  5. [5]The Ethnobotany of Chinchero. — Franquemont C. Et al · Field Museum of Natural History. · 1990 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN 0015-0746 ↩︎Brief details on the local uses of plants for an Andean community in southern Peru. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  6. [6]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.
  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 ↩︎