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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
Plantae	Tracheophyta	Gnetopsida	Ephedrales	Ephedraceae

Scientific Name:	Ephedra boelckei
Species Authority:	F.A.Roig
Common Name(s): Spanish – Parron, Pichana De Torro

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2011
Date Assessed:	2010-09-16
Assessor(s):	Bell, A. & Bachman, S.
Reviewer(s):	Hilton-Taylor, C. & Lutz, M.L.
Justification: Although restricted to a small area in northern Mendoza and southern San Juan provinces, Argentina, the habitat in which the species occurs appears relatively intact with few threats. Relatively recent collections (2000, 2002) indicate the species is still extant and stable. It is therefore listed as Least Concern.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Endemic to the provinces of Mendoza and San Juan, Argentina. Recorded from 490 m up to 1,470 m.
Countries occurrence:	Native: Argentina (Mendoza, San Juan)
Additional data:	♦ Lower elevation limit (metres): 490 ♦ Upper elevation limit (metres): 1470
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Population size is not known.
Current Population Trend:	Stable
Additional data:	♦ Population severely fragmented: No

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Only known from a small number of roadside collections, often near sand dunes or on steep banks.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Use and Trade [top]

Use and Trade:

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 (Plants for a Future 2010).

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):

No major threats known at present.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:

Known to occur in the Telteca Flora and Fauna Reserve, Mendoza province and within or close to periphery of the Valle Fértil Nature Park, San Juan province. Not known to occur in any botanical gardens and no reported seed collections for ex situ conservation.

Classifications [top]

Bibliography [top]

IUCN. 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2011.2). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 10 November 2011). Plants for a Future. 1996-2010. Plants For A Future, Earth, Plants, People. Available at: http://www.pfaf.org/user/plantsearch.aspx. WCSP. 2013. World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Available at: http://www.kew.org/wcsp/.