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Issue: Vol. 749 No. 3: 27 Mar. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-03-27
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.749.3.1
Page range: 219-242
Abstract views: 0
PDF downloaded: 0

The genus Ephedra (Ephedraceae) in Croatia

University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Botany, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via A. Longo 19, 95125 Catania, Italy
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Department of Forest Genetics, Dendrology and Botany, Svetošimunska cesta 23, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Botany, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via A. Longo 19, 95125 Catania, Italy
Dalmatia Joint-fir Mediterranean flora nomenclature pollen grains seed testa taxonomy Gymnosperms

Abstract

We present the results of a taxonomic study of the genus Ephedra in Croatia, based on field and herbarium research. Several Ephedra species were previously reported from this territory, however their occurrence was in many cases controversial due to misidentifications resulting from the use of morphological characters, not always diacritically valid. Our investigations confirmed that some Ephedra species were absent, while others were mentioned doubtfully or taxonomically critical. The only two species that are undoubtedly present in Croatia are E. foeminea (often identified as E. campylopoda) and E. procera. The former is widespread from sea level to 800 m of altitude, where it is mainly localized in rupestrian habitats. The latter, often attributed to E. nebrodensis or E. major, shows a scattered distribution within the same area as the previous one, but growing in open and sunny rocky environments. Furthermore, for comparative purposes, we also investigated E. nebrodensis, a species with a western Mediterranean distribution, and E. distachya, both to be excluded from the flora of Croatia. To clarify the nomenclatural aspects and the morphological, phenological, ecological, and chorological peculiarities of the investigated species, we provide detailed iconographies of the vegetative and reproductive structures based on living material, as well as information on the micromorphology of the seed testa and pollen grains.

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How to Cite

Bogdanović, S., Cambria, S., Temunović, M., Ljubičić, I. & Brullo, S. (2026) The genus Ephedra (Ephedraceae) in Croatia. Phytotaxa 749 (3): 219–242. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.749.3.1