High-climbing Jointfir
Ephedra altissima
Ephedra altissima is a species of Ephedra that is native to the western Sahara (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Chad, Mauritania), and also to the Canary Islands.
The species is cultivated as an ornamental plant and medicinal plant.
From the article Ephedra altissima on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
This plant is described as a green, dioecious shrub. Each flower is either male or female needing two different for seed formation. It prefers well drained, loamy soil in an area with direct sunlight. Once established the plant is hardy, resistant to drought and lime. The leaves bud in an opposite fashion with the plant being green all year. A shrub often found on rocky calcareous slopes. Flowering time is between February–May. Fruiting time is between April–May. The ripe female cone is eaten by animals.
Wikipedia: “Characteristics”
Range & habitat
This plant is located in Algeria, Chad, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia, and the western Sahara. It can be viewed at elevations between 10 meters to 700 meters above sea level.
Wikipedia: “Habitat”
At the table
The members of this genus have alkaloid ephedrine which are integral in the treatment of asthma and other related respiratory issues. By using the entire plant and not just the stem it has been observed, as compared to isolated ephedrine, to have few side effects. This is used to treat symptoms not cure respiratory issues. Young plants have the best potency if ingested raw while older plants are best to be dried and used in a tea.
Wikipedia: “Medicinal uses”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Ephedra altissima in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 340430.