| Common Name |
Mormon Tea, Indian Tea, Jointfir, Ephedra, Canutillo,
Longleaf Teabush |
| Latin Name |
Ephedra trifurca or E. viridus |
| Family |
Ephedraceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones |
1-2, 10-13 / 6b-11 |
| Type / Form |
Shrub / Medium |
| 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 |
| Exposure |
Full sun |
| 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 |
| Flowers |
Dioecious; yellow-brown,
cone-like, 1/4 to 1/2 inch, occurring in small clusters at nodes,
appearing in early spring. |
| Bark / Roots |
Gray to reddish brown
becoming finely fissured.
Most conspicuous part of the
plant. It is almost entirely composed of yellow-green to blue-green
twigs, branch repeatedly at nodes forming an upside down broom-like
cluster. |
| Maintenance |
None |
| Propagation |
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in
a greenhouse. It can also be sown in spring in a greenhouse in a sandy
compost. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they
are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first
winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in the spring or early summer after
the last expected frosts and give some protection in their first winter.
Division in spring or autumn. Layering. |
| Pests and Diseases |
None |
| Landscape uses |
Erosion control, rock garden, low maintenance,
background, parkways, specimen |
| Garden Suitability |
Songbird, Sonoran, Mountain, Ethnobotanical |
| 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 |
| Images and data |
http://www.naturesongs.com/vvplants/mormontea.html |
| Images and data |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_viridis |
| Images and data |
http://www.conifers.org/ep/ep/viridis.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Ephedraceae/Ephedra_viridis.html |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/67648/ |
| Images and data |
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus2/factsheet.cfm?ID=661 |
| Images and data |
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Yellow%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/ephedra.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ephedra_viridis |
| Images and data |
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?184,185,194 |
| Images and data |
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=2979 |
| Images and data |
http://extension.usu.edu/range/Woody/greenephedra.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.nps.gov/archive/arch/flowers/Families/Common_names/Ephedraceae_Ephedra_viridis20.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=16781 |
| Data |
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/ephvir/all.html |
| Data |
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Ephedra+viridis |
| Images |
http://www.scienceviews.com/photo/library/SIA1587.html |
| Distribution map |
http://www.swsbm.com/Maps/Ephedra_trifurca.gif |
| Distribution map |
http://www.swsbm.com/Maps/Ephedra_viridis.gif |
| Nursery, images, and data |
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/ephedra-viridis |
| Nursery, images, and data |
http://www.cnplx.info/nplx/species?taxon=Ephedra+viridis |
| Nursery |
Oak Hills Nursery, 13874 Ranchero Road, Oak Hills, 92345,
760-947-6261 |
| Note: |
High pollinator, tea
dangerously high in ephedra |
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