Ephedra intermedia vs Ephedra gerardiana

[J.M. Garg]

Trying to find out the difference between the two after going through the descriptions:

	Ephedra intermedia	Ephedra gerardiana
Flora of Pakistan	Shrubby plant up to 50 cm tall, branches usually many, erect to spreading, striate, minutely tuberculate, internodes straight or slightly bent. Male strobili up to 8, whorled; bracts obovate, connate; staminate column slightly exserted. Female strobili paired or in whorls. Tubillus exserted, slightly bent. Berry ovoid, red. Seeds ± 6 mm long, brownish.	Plant shrubby, tufted, dense, 20‑120 cm tall. Branchlets green, ascending, striate, smooth. Male strobilus solitary or in clusters of 2‑3. Flowers 4‑8: bracts obtuse, connate. Staminal column exserted; anthers 5‑8. Female strobili solitary. Bracts 2‑3‑pairs, tubillus 1 mm long, straight. Berry 7‑8 mm long, ± ovoid, red.
Flora of China	Subshrubs or shrubs to 1 m, densely branched, sometimes with creeping stem producing single, erect, green primary branches; branchlets yellowish or bluish green, often pruinose, internodes usually 2-6 cm × 1.5-3.5 mm. Leaves in whorls of 3 or opposite, connate for at least 2/3 their length. Pollen cones usually clustered at nodes, often sessile; bracts in 3 or 4 pairs or whorls; anthers 5-8, sessile or shortly stipitate. Seed cones ellipsoid, ovoid, or oblong-ovoid; bracts in 2-5 pairs or whorls, outer ones connate at base, apical pair or whorl connate for ca. 1/2 their length, margins membranous, globose, red, and fleshy at maturity; integument tube long, 3-5 mm, usually spirally twisted. Seeds 2 or 3, ovoid or elongate-ovoid, 5-6 × ca. 3 mm, concealed by bracts. Pollination May-Jun, seed maturity Jul-Aug.  Grasslands, deserts, river valleys, floodlands, sandy beaches, cliffs, other dry, sandy or rocky places; (100-)800-4600 m.	Shrubs small, to 15 cm; woody stems buried in soil, parts above ground scabrous, rarely almost smooth; branchlets directed upward, dark green, later brown, short, stout, usually with 1-3 nodes, internodes 1-1.5(-2) cm × 1.5-2 mm, longitudinally furrowed, often scabridulous. Leaves opposite, 2-3 mm, connate for ca. 2/3 their length. Pollen cones solitary or 2 at nodes, small, 2-5 × ca. 2 mm, sessile; bracts in 3 or 4(-6) pairs; staminal column exserted for ca. 1/2 its length, with 8 sessile anthers. Seed cones solitary, sessile or shortly pedunculate, subglobose at maturity, 5-7 mm in diam.; bracts in 2 or 3 pairs, connate for 1/4-1/3 their length, the apical pair for ca. 2/3 their length, red and fleshy at maturity; integument tube short, ca. 1 mm. Seeds 1 or 2, oblong or obovoid-oblong, 4-6 × 1.5-3 mm, exserted, apex obtuse or subacuminate. Pollination Jul, seed maturity Aug-Sep.   Dry and rocky slopes; 3700-5300 m.

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With regards,
J.M.Garg

[Anil Thakur]

Nice comparison, Garg Sir
Regards