Ephedraceae

Mormon tea

Ephedra viridis Coville

Family: Ephedraceae
Genus: Ephedra

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Mormon tea: Photo of Ephedra viridis in Red Rock Canyon , Nevada — Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (4)

Azerbaijani: Yaşıl acılıqotu
English: Mormon tea, Green ephedra, Green mormon tea, Jointfir, Indian tea, Mountain ephedra
nv: Dikos azeeʼ
Persian: ارمک سبز

Synonyms

Ephedra nevadensis subvar. pluribracteata Stapf
Ephedra nevadensis var. viridis (Coville) M.E.Jones

Flowers

Flower colour: yellow (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: native

Photos

Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: CK2AZ, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Elin Pierce, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Jay Brasher, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: naturalist charlie, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Steve Matson, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Steve Matson, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Nihonjoe, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Ephedra

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.