Mormon Tea
Ephedra viridis
A broom-like desert shrub of bright green, jointed, essentially leafless stems that photosynthesize in place of foliage. It holds that color through winter and gives structure to xeric plantings where little else is evergreen. Long brewed as a tea by Indigenous peoples and settlers; unlike Asian ephedra it contains no ephedrine.
- Family
- Ephedraceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 3–3 ft
- Spacing
- 3–4 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- April
- Bloom colors
- yellow
- Wildlife value
- mammals, songbirds
- Landscape uses
- erosion control, naturalizing, border
- Native states
- AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, OR, UT, WY