Clipweed vs koala

Ephedra antisyphilitica compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

Clipweed is Least Concern while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clipweed	koala
Kingdom	Plantae (植物)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (脊索動物)
Class	Gnetopsida (グネツム綱)	Mammalia (哺乳類)
Order	Ephedrales (Ephedrales)	Diprotodontia (カンガルー目)
Family	Ephedraceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Ephedra	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Ephedra antisyphilitica	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Clipweed

LC — Least Concern

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clipweed	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clipweed

koala

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found in Australia. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Clipweed

Clipweed (Ephedra antisyphilitica) is a leafless, photosynthetic shrub in the ancient gymnosperm family Ephedraceae, belonging to one of the oldest lineages of seed plants. Native to the arid and semi-arid regions of Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, it grows on rocky slopes, desert grasslands, dry scrublands, and limestone outcrops at low to moderate elevations. The plant consists of jointed, broom-like green stems that perform photosynthesis in the absence of true leaves, which are reduced to small, papery scales at the nodes. Like other ephedras, clipweed produces alkaloids including ephedrine, historically used in traditional medicine to treat respiratory ailments and reportedly as a remedy for syphilis, hence its species epithet. Male and female strobili are borne on separate plants. The species is wind-pollinated and produces small, fleshy red seed cones. Clipweed is categorized as Least Concern given its relatively wide distribution across suitable Chihuahuan Desert habitats and its tolerance of poor, rocky soils that limit competition from other vegetation.

koala

オーストラリア東部・南東部を代表する有袋類で、体重は最大15kgに達し、低カロリーのユーカリの葉食から得るエネルギーを節約するために1日最大22時間を睡眠に費やす。他の哺乳類の多くを死に至らしめる有毒なユーカリ成分を処理するために高度に特化しており、解毒に特別に適応した腸内微生物叢を持つ。クラミジア感染症、生息地の伐採、気候変動により個体数が激減し、2022年に絶滅危惧種に指定された。