Ephedra viridis (L.) Coville
by ,Native Plants Class
Common names: Mormon tea, Green ephedra, joint-fir, Brigham tea
Family: Ephedraceae
Synonymy:
Etymology: The genus Ephedra refers to the species in Asia that yield the drug ephedrine, the specific epithet viridis means green or green ephedra.
Identification
Growth form: Up to waist high branching shrub looks like Equicetum arvense only it’s a shrub.
Roots:
Stem: Bright green, finely furrowed, jointed stems, in upside down broom like clusters (1).
Leaves: Leaves are minute and located at the joints of the stems, often called scales of which Ephedra viridis has two, brown in color (1).
Inflorescence/flowers: Male flowers grow out of the male cones (1). Blooms mid spring (2).
Fruit: Female cones or fruit, fruit/seed production begins in spring and ends in summer (1).
Similar species: Ephedra torreyana (L.) S. Wats. Or Torry ephedra is also a native to Arizona. Ephedra torreyana can be distinguished from Ephedra viridis in that E. Torreyana has three scales at the stem joints where E. viridis only has two. (1).
Ecology
Life History: Green ephedra is a long lived (>20 yr) perennial (2).
Native/Introduced: Native (2).
Photosynthetic pathway:
Phenology: Flowers in mid spring with fruit and seed production beginning in spring and ending in the summer (1).
Distribution: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, west to California. Found in sandy areas from 3,000 to 7,500 feet elevation.
Uses
Human: The Navajo brewed the tops into a drink used as a cough medicine. Other Native Americans roasted the seeds, ate them whole or ground them into a meal for various uses. Some Asian species contain the drug ephedrine, which is used in treating colds and hay fever. (1).
References
1. Elmore, Francis H. 1976. Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Uplands. Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
2. Natural Resources Conservation Service. Plants Database [On-line]. Available: http://plants.usda.gov/index.html