| Ephedra alata Decne., it is a dioecious shrub, usually less than 1 meter in height. The roots of this plant are very fibrous and help the plant firmly anchor in sandy soil. This shrub has rigid and branched stems. This desert plant species does not possess spines and is non-succulent. The leaves are very short (about 3-6mm) and are united toward the base of the plant, forming leaf sheaths. The leaf arrangements are organized in an opposite pattern, with two leaves per node. The leaves are termed scale leaves because they are thick. This plant is known as conifer because the reproductive portions of this species are organized in yellow-green cones. The male, staminate cones are oval, 3-8mm long, organized in dense clusters, with 3-6 stipitate microsporangia. The female, or ovulate cones are found at the nodes of the stems. The ovulate cones are oval, up to 10mm long, with 4-5 pairs of overlapping yellow bracts surrounding two ovules. The seeds present in the ovulate cones are oval and acuminate in shape. Life Form: Ch, Flowering in: Mar-Apr, Vern:———–, Phytochoria: SA, The native range of this species is N. Africa to Arabian Peninsula. Notes: Wild in Libya, medicinal plant.
For more information: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:383343-1, https://www.ipni.org/n/383343-1, https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000794281, https://www.gbif.org/species/2653286, https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/131040/ephedra-alata-decne, https://flora.org.il/en/plants/ephala/, https://www.conifers.org/ep/Ephedra_alata.php, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_alata, http://www.flowersinisrael.com/Ephedraalata_page.htm |
| Distribution in Libya | ||
| Al-Jafarah Plain | Benghazi Plain | Jabal Nafusa |
| Farwa 1984 | Wadi El-Ghattara 2010 Beach sand dunes in Karkurah 2021 | Msallata (Shaafeen) 2008 Msallata National Park (Shaafeen) 2013 Jabal Nafusa (Wadi El-Watiah), Abughilan 2016 |
| Al-Jabal Al-Akhder | Marmarica Plateau | Al-Kufra area |
| Ras El-Hilal 1978 Wadi Zaza 2003 El-Bakur 2007 Wadi (Valley) Stowah region 2007 Al-Dercya, Shahat, El Fadil Abou Omar, Qandulah, Al-Marj-Al-Baida motorway 2011 Wadi El-Kouf 2014 Shahat old city 2017 Wadi Zaza 2017 Wadi Derna 2017 From Nuqrat Said to Wadi Al-Zagzoog 2019 Ain Mara 2020 Wadi Al-Kouf 2021 | Marmarica-north-eastern part of Libya (2002) | Tazerbo-EI-Kufra 1931 |
| Bibliographic references: | |
| First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan: | |
| Sherif, A.S. & EL·Taife, A. (1986) Flora of Libya, Gymnosperms Vol. (152) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya. | |
| Second: Researches and PhD theses, master theses , Sorted by Newest: | pdf files |
| Alteerah, M.A., El-Barasi, Y.M., Ali Alwerfally, A. (2021) Vegetation cover composition and seed bank study of beach sand dunes in Karkurah coastal area, east of Libya. Sustainability, Agri, Food and Environmental Research. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yacoub-El-Barasi , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Munay-Alteerah | Karkurah coastal area 2021 |
| Al-Traboulsi, M. & Alaib, M.A. (2021) A Survey of medicinal plants of Wadi Al-Kouf in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya. NAT. CROAT, VOL. 30. No 2. (389-404), ZAGREB. December 31, 2021. https://hrcak.srce.hr/269442 / https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/390805 | Medicinal plants of Wadi Al-Kouf 2021 |
| Saaed, M.W.B., EL-Barasi, Y.M. & Rahil, R.O. (2021) An updated checklist and quantitative analysis of the Marmarica Plateau flora, in the north-eastern part of Libya. Phytotaxa 509 (1): 001-055. https://www.mapress.com/j/pt/, https://www.biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.509.1.1 | An updated Marmarica Plateau flora 2021 |
| Al-Maqsabi, F. M. & Makhlouf, M. A. (2020) Vegetation cover in the Ain Mara region, Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar region – Libya. The Libyan Journal of Science (An International Journal): Volume 23, 2020. (In Arabic) https://uot.edu.ly/journals/index.php/ljs/article/view/122, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Farag-Elmokasabi-2 | Vegetation Cover of Ain Mara 2020 |
| Ali, A. M., Lashhab, S. R., Abu-Aweena, A. A.M. (2019) Classification of vegetation cover and its geographical distribution in the area extending between Al-Haniya and Wadi Zagzoog in the north to Lasastata and Bishtaya in the south. Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar eastern Libya. Issue (61) Journal of Science and Human Studies- Al-Marj-University of Benghazi-Libya (In Arabic) https://bit.ly/42bAJX1, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/sd-lshhb, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/fdl-allh-altlhy | |
| Ab-Aziza, F.B., El–Barasi, Y.M. and Rahil, R.O. (2017) Flora, Vegetation and Human Activities of Wadi Derna-El-Jabal. Research article I Botany l Version 1. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yacoub-El-Barasi, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebeh-Rahil | Vegetation Wadi Derna 2017 |
| Abusaief, H. M. A. (2017) Similarities between elevations in a rare species of some locations at Al- Jabal Al-Akhdar in Libya. International Journal of Environment ISSN 2077-4505.Volume: 06 Issue: 03 July-Sept. 2017, Page: 78-102. http://www.curresweb.com/ije/ije/2017/78-102.pdf | Similarities between elevations in a rare species 2017_compressed |
| Mukassabi, T.A., Thomas,P.A., ELMogasapi, A.(2017) Medicinal plants in Cyrenaica, Libya: existence and extinction. Biological Diversity and Conservation – 10/2 (2017) 183-192. https://bit.ly/44GKtLd, https://eprints.keele.ac.uk/id/eprint/4064/ | Medicinal plants in Cyrenaica 2017 |
| Hegazy, A.; Kabiel, H.; AlRowaily, S.; Lovett-Doust, L. and AlBorki, A. (2016) Plant communities and reproductive phenology in mountainous regions of northern Libya. Journal of Forestry Research. July 2017, Volume 28, Issue4, pp 741-761|. https://bit.ly/3HlBjcJ, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ahmad-Hegazy-2 | |
| El-Mokasabi, F M. (2014) Floristic Composition and Traditional Uses of Plant Species at Wadi Al-kuf, Al-Jabal Al-Akhder, Libya. American-Eurasian J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 14 (8): 685-697, 2014, ISSN 1818-769,IDOSI Publications,2014DOI:10.5829/idosi.aejaes.2014.14.08.12375. https://bit.ly/3VtCvAA, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/441b/23b83960f007044aca94e26f5c6b170fe102.pdf | Plant Species at Wadi Al-kuf 2014 |
| Al-Masalati, N. A. A. (2013) Plant diversity across the altitudes of the Msallata National Park Reserve Mountains. Master Thesis. Botany Department-College of Science-University of Benghazi-Libya. (In Arabic) | |
| Hegazyi, A.K., Boulos, L., Kabiel, H.F. and Sharashy, O.S. (2011) Vegetaion and species altitudinal distribution in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar landscape, Libya. Pak. J. Bot., 43(4): 1885-1898, 2011. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ahmad-Hegazy-2 | Vegetaion in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar landscape 2011 |
| El-Rabiai, G.T., Al tira, F.M., Lamlom, S.H. (2010) Preliminary Checklist for the Flora of Wadi El Ghattara in Libya. Garyounis University Press Journal of Science and Its Applications Vol. 4, No. 1, pp 39-47, December 2010. http://sc.uob.edu.ly/assets/uploads/pagedownloads/5c3e5-39-47.pdf | Flora of Wadi El Ghattara 2010 |
| Mohammed, S.A.H. (2008) A taxonomic and ecological study of the plants of the Shaafin Reserve in Masalatah. Master Thesis. Department of Biology-Faculty of Arts and Sciences-Al-Mirqab University. Al-Khums. Libya. (In Arabic) | |
| Abd Al-lkhaleq, Y. M. (2007) Vegetation Coverage of El-Bakur Highlands in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar. Master Thesis, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Garyounis University, Libya. (In Arabic) | |
| Nawras, A. M. B. (2007) A study of the vegetation cover in the Wadi (Valley) Stowah region. Master Thesis. Botany Department-Faculty of Science-Garyounis University-Libya. (In Arabic) | |
| El-Barasi, Y. M., EI-Sherif, l. M. & Gawhari, A. M. H.(2003) Checklist and analysis of the flora and vegetation of Wadi Zaza at AI-Jabal AI Akhdar (Cyrenaica, Libya). Bocconea 16 (2): 1091-1105. 2003. – ISSN 1120-4060. https://bit.ly/3VowJ3q , http://www.herbmedit.org/bocconea/16-1091.pdf | flora and vegetation of Wadi Zaza 2003_compressed |
| El-Shaary M.S. (2002). The Natural Vegetation in Marmarica plateau (North-eastern Libya). First ed. Tobruk (Libya): Published by the local Authority. (In Arabic) |
