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Mexican Biodiversity “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.” Charles Darwin Home > Species > Concepts > The extended family > Plants > Ginkos and Canutillos > Canutillos Canutillos (Gnetophyta) and branches. They have male cones, in which the pollen develops, and seed cones. What are they? This group of plants (Division: Gnetophyta) includes three families with a single genus in each: Ephedraceae, Gnetaceae, and Welwitschiaceae (One species: Welwitschia mirabilis). They are shrubs and lianas without flowers. Unlike other non-flowering plants, this group resembles the flowering plants in their vascular system, particularly in the similarity of their water-conducting xylem cells. How Many? The gnetums (Gnetum spp.) are trees, shrubs and evergreen tropical lianas with large leaves. They are dioecious plants, i.e. with male and female individuals. Welwitschia, named after its Austrian discoverer, Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch, is a large unique plant and is considered a living fossil that can live for between 1000 and 2000 years. How do they live? There are about 40 species of canutillos, 30 to 35 species of Gnetum and a single species of Weilwitschia. In Mexico, only canutillos are found. Where do they live? The canutillos (Ephedra spp.) Live in arid climates of the northern hemisphere mainly: Americas, Europe, North Africa, and Asia. Also found in South America. Some live in grasslands. In Mexico, living mainly in Northern Baja California, Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and San Luis Potosi. Gnetums are found in Asia, Africa and South America; in the Amazon basin and in the Choco region (Ecuador and Colombia). Welwitschia mirabilis is found in the Namib Desert between Namibia and Angola in south-eastern Africa. Many of their herbivores are Hemiptera (bugs, cicadas, aphids) or Heteroptera. Mammals such as bighorn sheep, mule deer and the pronghorn, as well as cows, goats and sheep, feed on some species. They are wind-pollinated plants, while the seeds can be dispersed by small mammals. How do we use them? Canutillos have been used in China for their medicinal properties in the treatment of asthma, hay fever and colds for 5000 years. In China they are known as Ma Huang (yellow hemp). They contain alkaloids, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, and are used for low blood pressure due to their vasoconstrictive effects. Ephedrine is a banned substance for olympic athletes. The American species lack alkaloids, however, some species are also traditionally used as a remedy for stomach and kidney problems. In Africa, two species of Gnetum are widely consumed for their high nutritional value. How are they? The canutillos (Ephedra spp.), also known as jointfir, jointpine, or mormon tea, are shrubs with very thin stems URL: http://www.biodiversidad.gob.mx/v_ingles/species/gran_familia/plantas/ginkos/canutillos_ingles.html Contact: [email protected] | México 2009