Ephedra intermedia, with the Chinese common name of Zhong Ma Huang, is a species of Ephedra that is native to Siberia, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the western Himalayas, Tibet, Mongolia, and China.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesPeschkova, G.A. (2005). Synopsis of the Siberian Ephedra species (Ephedraceae). Botanicheskii Zhurnal. Moscow & Leningrad 90: 423-436.Flora of China, Vol. 4 Page 98, 中麻黄 zhong ma huang, Ephedra intermedia Schrenk ex C. A. Meyer, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint-Pétersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math., Seconde Pt. Sci. Nat. Sci. Nat. 5: 278 1846
Description Ephedra intermedia is found in deserts, grasslands, floodlands and river valleys, slopes and cliffs, and sandy beaches. It grows at elevations of , in rocky or sandy dry habitats.
The plant grows to tall. The strobili are dioecious, either male or female on any one plant, so both male and female plants are needed for seeds.
Taxonomy It was originally described by Alexander Gustav von Schrenk and Carl Anton von Meyer in 1846. It was placed in section Pseudobaccatae (=sect. Ephedra sect. Ephedra), "tribe" Pachycladae by Otto Stapf in 1889.
In 1996 Robert A. Price classified E. intermedia in section Ephedra without recognizing a tribe.Price, R. A. (1996). Systematics of the Gnetales: A review of morphological and molecular evidence. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 157(6): S40-S49.
References
External links PFAF Plant Database — Ephedra intermedia (Zhong Ma Huang)