Forwarding again for Id confirmation or otherwise please.
Some earlier relevant feedback:
Ephedra identification is often challenging - especially as most of the specimens encountered have no flowers or fruit. The joint-pines are adapted to the low-rainfall of Tibetan borderlands. The leaves are reduced to scales on the stems (helping reduce the loss of water through transpiration), which are green for photosynthesis. E.geradiana is understood to be the common, widespread species along the Himalaya (or more accurately, along the borderlands of Tibet). I agree that the images do not match E.geradiana. 3 species are recorded from Ladakh: E.geradiana, E.intermedia and E.regelii according to Dickore & Klimes. Stewart records all three. As for E.pachyclada, he states that Riedl. does not report this from Pakistan or Kashmir. However, Kitamura reported it from the Chaman Pass on the Baluchistan-Afghan border. Boiss. reported it from "W.Tibet", probably Ladakh. I consider the range of the species is poorly known. Fortunately, I have a much better (but far from perfect) idea about the three main species in Ladakh than I did just a few months ago but still consider myself a novice with Ephedras. The images are not of E.regelii. I currently think they most likely are within E.intermedia but will consider E.pachyclada. Can anyone say with confidence which species and how one differentiates between E.intermedia and E.pachyclada? efloraofPakistan for Ephedra: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=111784 But how reliable is this key? Cannot make out any wart-like projections on the stems in the close-up image but cannot see the characteristics describe for E.pachyclada either..... |
- from Chris Chadwell ji.
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'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna'
Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow Awards 2014 for efloraofindia.
For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group (largest in the world- around 2700 members & 2,40,000 messages on 31.3.16) or Efloraofindia website (with a species database of more than 11,000 species & 2,20,000 images).
The whole world uses my Image Resource of more than a thousand species & eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged alphabetically & place-wise). You can also use them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image.
Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of India'.
'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna'
Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow Awards 2014 for efloraofindia.
For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group (largest in the world- around 2700 members & 2,40,000 messages on 31.3.16) or Efloraofindia website (with a species database of more than 11,000 species & 2,20,000 images).
The whole world uses my Image Resource of more than a thousand species & eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged alphabetically & place-wise). You can also use them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image.
Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of India'.
Forwarding again for Id confirmation or otherwise please.
Some earlier relevant feedback:
Ephedra identification is often challenging - especially as most of the specimens encountered have no flowers or fruit. The joint-pines are adapted to the low-rainfall of Tibetan borderlands. The leaves are reduced to scales on the stems (helping reduce the loss of water through transpiration), which are green for photosynthesis. E.geradiana is understood to be the common, widespread species along the Himalaya (or more accurately, along the borderlands of Tibet). I agree that the images do not match E.geradiana. 3 species are recorded from Ladakh: E.geradiana, E.intermedia and E.regelii according to Dickore & Klimes. Stewart records all three. As for E.pachyclada, he states that Riedl. does not report this from Pakistan or Kashmir. However, Kitamura reported it from the Chaman Pass on the Baluchistan-Afghan border. Boiss. reported it from "W.Tibet", probably Ladakh. I consider the range of the species is poorly known. Fortunately, I have a much better (but far from perfect) idea about the three main species in Ladakh than I did just a few months ago but still consider myself a novice with Ephedras. The images are not of E.regelii. I currently think they most likely are within E.intermedia but will consider E.pachyclada. Can anyone say with confidence which species and how one differentiates between E.intermedia and E.pachyclada? efloraofPakistan for Ephedra: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=111784 But how reliable is this key? Cannot make out any wart-like projections on the stems in the close-up image but cannot see the characteristics describe for E.pachyclada either..... - from Chris Chadwell ji.
|
'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna'
Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow Awards 2014 for efloraofindia.
For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group (largest in the world- around 2700 members & 2,40,000 messages on 31.3.16) or Efloraofindia website (with a species database of more than 11,000 species & 2,20,000 images).
The whole world uses my Image Resource of more than a thousand species & eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged alphabetically & place-wise). You can also use them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image.
Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of India'.