Ephedra intermedia seed
LATIN NAME: EPHEDRA INTERMEDIA
COMMON NAME: Intermediate Ephedra
On the dry, rocky slopes and the desert fringes of the northwest, the intermediate ephedra grows as a low, spreading, evergreen shrub with the jointed, green, almost leafless stems and the small, inconspicuous flowers, the small, red, berry-like cones ripening on the female plants in the summer. It spreads slowly into a low, open bush, and it stands the burning heat, the bitter cold, the drought and the poor, sandy soils well. Full sun suits it best, with poor, sandy ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The intermediate ephedra holds a place in the studies of the ephedra tribe of the dry northwest, its jointed green stems and its red berry-like cones keeping it in view in the work on the medicinal shrubs of the desert fringes and the drought-tolerant plants of the region. The research looks at the way the jointed stems cut the water loss, the red cones ripen and are taken by the birds, and the seed biology of the hard, short-lived seeds.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the dry garden and the desert planting, the intermediate ephedra spreads with the jointed, green stems and sets the red, berry-like cones that brighten the female plants in the summer. The tough shrub has long been gathered for the remedies of the region, and the plant makes the fine drought-tolerant shrub, the medicinal plant and the plant of the hot, dry garden. It is a plant for the open, sunny, deep and free-draining place.
To grow the Intermediate Ephedra from seed, sow the hard seeds on the surface of sandy, dry soil.
Sow the hard seeds on the surface of sandy, dry soil, and keep the young ephedras in the open, sunny spot. The red cones ripen with the summer.
LATIN NAME: Ephedra intermedia
COMMON NAME: Intermediate Jointfir, Zhong Ma Huang
Intermediate jointfir looks like nothing else in the garden, a plant from the arid lands with a strange, ancient beauty. It slowly becomes an upright, columnar form, reaching three to four metres. The whole plant has a bare, wiry, almost prehistoric look, like a desert plant from another age, and in fact its family is very old indeed. In spring the plants bear small cones, and by summer these ripen to carry the seeds. It is a plant of dry, harsh places, and it brings an exotic, sculptural quality to a sunny, well-drained spot.
Intermediate jointfir belongs to the ephedra family, Ephedraceae, an ancient group of plants related to conifers and ginkgo. It is native to the dry steppes and deserts of central Asia, from China and Mongolia to Iran, where it grows on gravelly slopes and sandy ground.
Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide
Growing intermediate jointfir from seed takes patience, but it is a fascinating plant to raise. The seeds sit inside the small cones, and they benefit from a period of cold, moist conditions before sowing, so keep them cool and damp for a few weeks, or sow them in pots in autumn and leave them outdoors over winter. In spring, sow the seeds in pots of very free-draining, gritty compost, barely covering them, and keep them in a sunny, warm spot, watering sparingly. Germination can be slow and uneven, so be patient. Grow the young plants on in pots in a sunny, dry position, protecting them from excessive moisture, before planting out in well-drained soil. A jointfir you have raised from seed is a plant of real character, and it will thrive where few other plants dare to grow.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Intermediate jointfir is a plant of considerable scientific importance. It is one of the ephedras whose stems have been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine, known as mahuang, valued for treating asthma, colds and congestion, and it has been studied extensively for the alkaloids in its stems, including ephedrine, which has had a major influence on medicine. The plant is also of botanical interest because its family is very ancient, and researchers study it as a living link to early seed plants, along with its relatives in the gnetophytes. In ecology, it is studied as a drought-hardy shrub of arid lands, useful for stabilising desert soils and understanding how plants survive extreme dryness. For a plant that grows in the most barren places, intermediate jointfir has a distinguished and wide-ranging record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, intermediate jointfir is a stabiliser of dry lands. Its tough roots bind sandy and gravelly soils, holding ground that would otherwise blow away, and it provides food and shelter for wildlife in some of the harshest habitats on earth.
Its economic value has been substantial. The stems have been harvested for centuries as a medicinal herb, and the plant remains important in traditional medicine in Asia. It is also planted for erosion control and land restoration in arid regions, where its hardiness is greatly valued. For a grower with a dry, sunny site, intermediate jointfir is a unique and characterful plant, and for anyone interested in the plants of the worlds deserts, it is a living piece of botanical history.