Ephedra fragilis, commonly named the joint pine, is a species of Ephedra that is native to the western Mediterranean region of southern Europe and Northern Africa, and from Madeira and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic.
Its habitats are rocky hills and stone walls, where it grows to 2m tall.
Taxonomy
The plant was originally described by René Louiche Desfontaines in 1799 and placed in section Pseudobaccatae (=sect. Ephedra sect. Ephedra), "tribe" Scandentes by Otto Stapf in 1889.
In 1996 Robert A. Price classified E. fragilis in section Ephedra without recognizing a tribe.
Subspecies
Ephedra fragilis subsp. cossonii (Stapf) Maire - Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara Ephedra fragilis subsp. fragilis - Spain, Portugal, Balearic Islands, Sicily, Calabria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Madeira, Canary Islands
Conservation
Ephedra fragilis is a Least Concern species on the IUCN Red List.