Seed plants originated in the devonian p eriod from a group called the progymnosperms, which possessed wood and heterospory, but reproduced by releasing spores. Plant anatomy cell and tissue structure of a plant. It is a dioecious shrub, usually less than 1 meter in height. Introducing morphology morphology is the study of how words are put together. Ephedrine is a natural product of the ephedra plant ephedra sinica, and is a mixedacting, noncatecholamine sympathomimetic with both direct and indirect stimulating effects on. Ephedrae herba is defined as the stem of ephedra sinica. Pdf whole fossil plants of ephedra and their implications on the. Its been used in chinese medicine for thousands of years 1, 2.
However, recent analyses of molecular data provide a phylogenetic framework for investigations of morphological traits, albeit with few informative characters in the investigated gene regions. Providing data from a wide variety of languages, it includes handson activities such as. Unlike using the isolated or synthesized ephedrine, using the whole plant in alternative medicine is much more effective and rarely gives rise to serious sideeffects. Ephedra morphology anatomy and reproduction youtube. This desert plant species does not possess spines and is nonsucculent. Ephedra is a genus of gymnosperm shrubs, the only genus in its family, ephedraceae, and.
Ephedra sinica or mahuang is an evergreen shrub native to central asia. Cut thin transverse sections of internodes of young and old stems, stain them in safraninfast green combination, mount in glycerine and study. Purpose of assessment the federal office of consumer protection and food safety bvl, in collaboration with the als working party on dietary foods, nutrition and classification issues, has compiled a hit list of 10 substances, the consumption of which may pose a health risk. Currently, five lineages of seed plants survivethe flowering plants plus four groups of gymnosperms. Pdf morphology and affinities of an early cretaceous ephedra. Plant morphology is useful in the visual identification of plants. Ehpedra alata is a small terrestrial shrub or chamaephyte. It has been used in traditional chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years. A lively introduction to the subject, this textbook is intended for undergraduates with relatively little background in linguistics. Lott3 2laboratory of systematic and evolutionary botany, and herbarium, institute of botany, the chinese academy of sciences, xiangshan, beijing.
Click on a scientific name below to expand it in the plants classification report. Ephedra the ephedra family, ephedraceae, has but one genus, ephedra. Ephedra herb uses alternative nature online herbal. Paperiv structure, development and reproduction in flowering plants. The thermogenic properties of ephedrine are mainly due to its action as a sympathicomimetic compound. A, b ephedra aphylla, female plant with red fleshy seed envelope surrounding two seeds on ovulate cone, wadi. Mostly the plants are woody shrubs, a very few species are lianas and some species grow into a small tree. The whole plant preservation of the fossils provides more convincing fossil evidence of early cretaceous ephedra, helps to resolve the controversy over the origin time of ephedra, and sheds light on the whole plant morphology, growth habit, ecology and evolution of ephedraceae.
Gnetophyta is a division of plants, grouped within the gymnosperms which also includes conifers, cycads, and ginkgos, that consists of some 70 species across the three relict genera. Whole fossil plants of ephedra and their implications on the morphology, ecology and evolution of ephedraceae gnetales article pdf available in chinese science bulletin 5515. Morphological variation in ephedra gnetales is limited and confusing from an evolutionary perspective, with parallelisms and intraspecific variation. Ephedra is an evolutionally isolated group and is the only genus in the order ephedrales.
The plant body is sporophytic and shows xerophytic characters. Click below on a thumbnail map or name for species profiles. Medicinal properties of ephedra sinica and its constituents. Chamberlain 1935 mentioned that ephedra is a shortlived plant. Pollen morphology of ephedra gnetales and its evolutionary. Other ephedra alkaloids of the ephedrinetype present in the. It is found in europe, western and central asia and central and south america.
Any alteration in the structure or function of an organism or any of its part that results from natural selection and. Whole fossil plants of ephedra and their implications on the morphology, ecology and evolution of. Ephedra morphology anatomy and reproduction ch09 life sciences, botany, zoology, bioscience. Scientific opinion on safety evaluation of ephedra species. Whole fossil plants of ephedra and their implications on. It resembles equisetum in its external morphology in some species, its height up to several meters.
Pollen plays an important role in the lifecycle of all seed plants. Ebert, in pharmacology and physiology for anesthesia second edition, 2019. The study of various external features of the organism is known as morphology. Branches grow spirally and thus the plant gives the appearance of a conical or pyramidal structure. Ephedra viridis is the most common ephedra in our area, but any one of the three. Davinder kaur reader in botany, maitreyi college university of delhi. Witkamp, in comprehensive natural products ii, 2010. Some asian species have been used as a source of the stimulant ephedrine, and many are important in herbal medicine. To file a complaint of discrimination write usda, director, office. Ephedrine is one of the most commonly used noncatecholamine sympathomimetic drugs in the perioperative period.
Ephedra sinica, also called ma huang, is a plant native to asia, though it also grows in other areas around the world. Pollen morphology of ephedra gnetales and its evolutionary implications article pdf available in grana august 2015 with 1,190 reads how we measure reads. This is true with most herbs, but especially with ephedra, since other plant constituents can help buffer or. Chapter 5 morphology of flowering plants morphology. This is usually considered distinct from plant anatomy, which is the study of the internal structure of plants, especially at the microscopic level. Preparation of the right microsite is particularly important for a plant of this nature, which must maintain a dry, warm crown. Ephedra compacta attains a height of about 30 cm and e. Hi kelly, as long as you give full sun and a welldrained soil you can grow true mahuang in texas, the humidity doesnt matter. Ephedra altissima highclimbing jointfir ephedra antisyphilitica. Plant morphology or phytomorphology is the study of the physical form and external structure of plants. The ephedra plant belongs to the gnetum family gnetaceae. The plants database includes the following 19 species of ephedra.
Fossilized pollen attributed to a close relative of ephedra has been dated as far back as the early cretaceous. Shruby plant body usually remains less than two metres in height in most of the species. Ephedra, genus of 65 species of gymnosperm shrubs of the family ephedraceae. Ephedra morphology, anatomy and reproduction vidyamitra. Ephedra morphology, anatomy and reproduction youtube. Introduction to vascular plant morphology and anatomy. One to three seeds are borne in ovoid to ellipsoid cones that. Some dozen or so species occur in the western united states, with three ephedra viridis, ephedra cutleri, ephedra torreyana common in the four corners area. The various species of ephedra are widespread in many lands, native to southwestern north america, southern europe, northern africa, southwest and central asia, northern china and western south america in temperate climates, most ephedra species grow on shores or in sandy soils with. Ephedra is the sole genus in ephedraceae dumortier 1829, which many authors designate as the sole family in order ephedrales dumortier 1829. Pdf morphology and affinities of an early cretaceous. Sexual reproduction in ephedra nevadensis ephedraceae. The primary vascular system is a eustele marsden and steeves, 1955.
It is used for the treatment of asthma, cough and hayfever. Molecular characterization of ephedra species found in. Whole fossil plants of ephedra and their implications on the morphology, ecology and evolution of ephedraceae gnetales. Morphology and affinities of an early cretaceous ephedra ephedraceae from china article pdf available in american journal of botany 922.
Vegetative morphology any portion of a plant that is involved in growth, development, photosynthesis, support, etc. Ephedra is a medicinal preparation from the plant ephedra sinica. It can be applied to any species and involves a detailed study of vegetative and reproductive characters in order to form a profile of a plant, which can be used to make general comparisons of plant species displaying a similar structure or detailed. Diversity of seed plants and their systematics gymnosperms ii morphology, anatomy and life cycle of ephedra dr. Shruby plant body usually remains less than two meters in height in most of the species. Several additional species belonging to the genus ephedra have traditionally been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, and are a possible candidate for the soma plant of indoiranian religion. Gnetum family gnetaceae, welwitschia family welwitschiaceae, and ephedra family ephedraceae. Ephedra morphology, anatomyand reproduction youtube. Ephedra is a genus of gymnosperm shrubs, the only genus in its family, ephedraceae, and order, ephedrales. Ephedra sinica stapf chinese ephedra subordinate taxa. Scientific assessment of ephedra species ephedra spp. The distribution map of old world ephedra was kindly provided by h.
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