Plant Fact Sheet

Ephedraceae
Mormon Tea,
Joint Fir
Ephedra species

The Ephedra species are shrubby plants that range 3 to 5 feet tall and wide. Their unique structure is nearly unmistakable among desert shrubs. They are a mass of intricate, relatively thin stick-like stems that lack leaves. The leaves are reduced to small scales that may or may not be apparent at the joints, depending on the species. The stems may be green, yellow-green or blue-green. Ephedra plants grow in arid lands including grasslands, sage-scrub, chaparral scrub, creosote-bush scrub, Joshua-tree woodlands and pinyon/juniper woodlands.

In the spring, male plants are recognized by their display of yellow, pollen-filled flowers. The female plants at this time have small green cones that form on their stems. Later, when the seeds mature, the bracts of the cones will open to reveal the brownish seeds, which resemble pine nuts.

Thought to be a remnant group left over from a once much more widespread and variable group of plants, Ephedra species are found in deserts and arid land in the Mediterranean area, Asia, western North America, and in South America. Ephedras are gymnosperms. Seeds are formed in cones and do not have a fleshy protective coating. The closest related plants to the ephedras are the Gnetums, which there are about 15 tropical species.

Ephedra is claimed to have many medicinal properties, but the most common use is as a nasal decongestant. The responsible drug, isolated from Chinese Ephedra, is called ephedrine. The natural form was very important before the compound could be manufactured synthetically. Ephedra is used to make a tea in the Southwestern U.S., hence the common name, Mormon Tea.

Seven species of Ephedra naturally occur in Southeastern California: Ephedra aspera, Ephedra californica, Ephedra fasciculata, Ephedra funerea, Ephedra nevadensis, Ephedra trifurca, and Ephedra viridis. In the Mojave Desert geographic representation garden at the Living Desert, two species of Ephedra can be found: Ephedra nevadensis and Ephedra viridis, the Green Ephedra.