| Common Name |
Mormon Tea, Indian Tea, Jointfir, Ephedra, Canutillo,
Longleaf Teabush |
| Latin Name |
Ephedra trifurca or E. viridus |
| Native Habitat |
Below 7,000 feet in the Sonoran, Mojave, Great Basin,
and Chihuahuan Deserts |
| Soil |
Dry decomposed granite, sand, limestone, low organic
content, well drained |
| Water |
Once per month until established |
| Height X Width |
Maximum 15 X 15 feet, usual 4 feet X 6 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
Spine at tip of stem |
| Leaves |
Evergreen stems, yellow green, scale leaves |
| Garden Suitability |
Songbird, Sonoran, Mountain |
| Ornamental Value |
Texture of stems, yellow flowers on males in spring |
| Nature Value |
Cones eaten by quail and other birds and small mammals;
; browse for bighorn sheep and deer |
| Native American Uses |
Prepared as a tea for stomach and bowel disorders, for
colds, fever, and headache. The dried and powdered twigs were used in
poultices for burns and ointments for sores. One tribe made a decoction
of the entire plant and drank it to help stop bleeding. |
| Links |
|
| Article |
http://www.desertusa.com/april97/du_mormontea.html |
| Nursery, images and data |
http://www.noble.org/imagegallery/Woodhtml/MormonTea.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.naturesongs.com/vvplants/mormontea.html |
| Images |
http://www.scienceviews.com/photo/library/SIA1587.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.canyondave.com/MormonTea.html |
| Distribution map (trifurca) |
http://www.swsbm.com/Maps/Ephedra_trifurca.gif |
| Distribution map (viridis) |
http://www.swsbm.com/Maps/Ephedra_viridis.gif |
| Note: |
High pollinator, tea
dangerously high in epinephrine |
