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Chinese Ephedra
Ephedra sinica
シナマオウ
A gymnosperm native to China and Central Asia, representative of the genus Ephedra. It has erect green jointed stems with leaves reduced to scales. It contains ephedrine, the source of the traditional medicine 'mahuang' used for colds and asthma. Cultivated in Japan for medicinal and ornamental purposes.
Identification Points
- ✓Slender green jointed stems are erect and perform stem photosynthesis
- ✓Leaves reduced to small scales
- ✓Dioecious; female plants bear red fleshy strobili
Habitat
Dry rocky ground (native habitat); medicinal herb gardens and pots in Japan
Season
Year-round (evergreen)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Growth form
Shrub
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Parallel
Leaf margin
Entire
Petal fusion
No petals
Stipules
Absent
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Dioecious
Phylogenetic Positionマオウ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Gymnosperms > Gnetophytes > Gnetales > Ephedraceae
Divergence Era
Mesozoic Cretaceous (approx. 120 million years ago onward)
Evolution Notes
Ephedraceae belongs to gnetophytes, the gymnosperm group closest to angiosperms, having independently evolved a process resembling double fertilization. Ephedrine is a medically and historically important sympathomimetic compound.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
Needs review