Ephedra fragilis LC Taxonomic Authority: Desf.  Global Assessment  Regional Assessment Region: Global  Endemic to region Synonyms Common Names dissoluta Webb & Berthel. ALANDA Unknown Ephedra fragilis var. (Webb & Berthel.) Trab JOINT PINE English Ephedra gibraltarica Boiss. Ephedra wettsteinii Buxb.

Upper Level Kingdom: PLANTAE Phylum: TRACHEOPHYTA Class: GNETOPSIDA Order: EPHEDRALES Family: EPHEDRACEAE Lower Level Taxonomy Rank: Infra- rank name:  Hybrid Subpopulation: Authority:

General Information Distribution E. fragilis has a Macaronesian and Mediterranean distribution.

Range Size Elevation Biogeographic Realm Area of Occupancy: Upper limit: 300  Afrotropical Extent of Occurrence: Lower limit: 0  Antarctic Map Status: Depth  Australasian Upper limit:  Neotropical Lower limit:  Oceanian Depth Zones  Palearctic  Shallow photic  Bathyl  Hadal  Indomalayan  Photic  Abyssal  Nearctic Population Popualtion size is not known. Has been reported as being very common on the Balearic islands.

Total Population Size Minimum Population Size: Maximum Population Size: Habitat and Ecology Shrub, found growing in rocky arid areas, limestone cliffs, coastal dunes, rocky slopes, sandy areas, near sea or roadside. Flowers from March to May. Seeds thought to be dispersed by animal consumption.

System Movement pattern Crop Wild Relative  Terrestrial  Freshwater  Nomadic  Congregatory/Dispersive  Is the species a wild relative of a crop?  Marine  Migratory  Altitudinally migrant Growth From Definition Shrub - large Perennial shrub (>1m), also termed a Phanerophyte (>1m)

Threats No major threats at present aside from general disturbance from human activities.

Past Present Future 13 None  Conservation Measures There are many occurrences of this species in botanic gardens and an ex situ seed collection has been made as part of the Millennium Seed Bank project. It has previously been noted in the Red List of Malta and rated as Near Threatened in the Croatian Red list under var. subsp. campylopoda, however this subspecies is now recognised as a synonym of E. foeminea Forssk. The distribution intersects several protected areas.

In Place Needed 3 Research actions  3.2 Population numbers and range  3.5 Threats  3.6 Uses and harvest levels  3.9 Trends/Monitoring  4 Habitat and site-based actions  4.4 Protected areas  5 Species-based actions  5.7 Ex situ conservation actions  5.7.2 Genome resource bank 

Countries of Occurrence

PRESENCE ORIGIN Year Breeding Non- Passage Possibly ExtinctPresence Native Introduced Re- Vagrant Origin Round Season breeding migrant extinct uncertain Introduced uncertain only season only Algeria    Italy    Italy    Sicily    Jordan    Libyan Arab Jamahiriya    Morocco    Palestinian Territory, Occupied    Portugal    Madeira    Portugal    Spain    Balearic Is    Canary Is.    Spain    Tunisia    Western Sahara    General Habitats Score Description Major Importance 3 Shrubland 1UnsetSuitable 3.8 Shrubland - Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation1Unset Suitable 6 Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)1Unset Suitable

Ecosystem Services  Insufficient Information available  Species provides no ecosystem services

Species Utilisation  Species is not utilised at all

Purpose / Type of Use Subsistence National International 3. Medicine - human and veterinary  The stems of most members of this genus contain the alkaloid ephedrine and are valuable in the treatment of asthma and many other complaints of the respiratory system ( for a Future 2010). Other medicinal uses include antiviral affects, in particular against influenza, and it can be combined with other herbs to treat a wider range of issues. It is advised that E. fragilis be used with great caution, preferably under the supervision of a qualified practitioner (Plants for a Future 2010).

Trend in the level of wild offtake/harvest in relation to total wild population numbers over the last five years: Unknown Trend in the amount of offtake/harvest produced through domestication/cultivation over the last five years: Unknown CITES status: Not listed

Livelihood Value  There is no information for this species regarding its livelihood value.

IUCN Red Listing Red List Assessment:(using 2001 IUCN system) Least Concern (LC)

Red List Criteria: Date Last Seen (only for EX, EW or Possibly EX species): Is the species Possibly Extinct?  Possibly Extinct Candidate?  Rationale for the Red List Assessment This species has a large Macaronesian and Mediterranean distribution, occurs in protected areas, has been collected recently and does not appear to be in decline from any threatening processes at present. Reason(s) for Change in Red List Category from the Previous Assessment:  Genuine Change  Nongenuine Change  No Change  Genuine (recent)  New information  Taxonomy  Same category  Genuine (since first assessment)  Knowledge of Criteria  Criteria Revisio and criteria  Incorrect data used  Other  Same category but previously change in criteria Current Population Trend: Stable Date of Assessment: 17/09/2010 Name(s) of the Assessor(s): A.Bell & S.Bachman Evaluator(s): Notes:

% population decline in the past: Time period over which the past decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): % population decline in the future: Time period over which the future decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): Number of Locations: Severely Fragmented: Number of Mature Individuals:

Bibliography Jinling Huang, David E. Giannasi, Robert A.Price, 2005, Phylogenetic relationships in Ephedra (Ephedraceae) inferred from chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 48-59, , Plants for a Future, 1996-2010, Plants For A Future, Earth, Plants, People., , , RBG Kew, 2009, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, , Published on the Internet; http://www.kew.org/wcsp/, SEPASAL, 2009, Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL), , SEPASAL, Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK, www.kew.org/ceb/sepasal,