The Mormon tea plant is one of the easiest shrubs to recognize across dry parts of the western United States. Instead of broad leaves, it carries dense clusters of slender green stems divided into obvious joints. These stems give the plant its broom-like shape and handle much of the photosynthesis that leaves perform in most shrubs.
The name most often refers to Ephedra viridis, also called green ephedra, green Mormon tea, or joint-fir. It belongs to an old group of seed plants called gymnosperms, so its reproductive structures are cones rather than true flowers. The plant occurs in deserts, semi-desert shrublands, rocky basins, mesas, foothills, and upland environments across the interior West.
Main Characteristics of Mormon Tea
| Characteristic | Details |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Ephedra viridis Coville |
| Common names | Mormon tea, green ephedra, green Mormon tea, joint-fir, Brigham tea |
| Family | Ephedraceae |
| Plant group | Gymnosperm |
| Growth form | Perennial evergreen shrub |
| Typical height | About 0.2–1.5 m (8 inches–5 feet), depending on site conditions |
| Stems | Numerous green, jointed, usually upright branches |
| Leaves | Very small, opposite, scale-like structures at stem joints |
| Reproduction | Seeds produced in cone-like reproductive structures; plants are generally male or female |
| Native range | Western United States |
| Typical habitat | Rocky slopes, washes, mesas, alluvial fans, foothills, shrublands, and dry open ground |
| Soils | Common on sandy, gravelly, rocky, and well-drained soils |
Why Mormon Tea Has Green Jointed Stems
The stems are the feature that gives Mormon tea its distinctive appearance. Young branches are bright green to yellow-green and are divided into sections by clearly visible nodes. Small branchlets often arise near these joints, producing the plant’s dense, upright form.
Its leaves are greatly reduced. They occur opposite one another at the nodes and appear as tiny scales rather than broad leaf blades. On Ephedra viridis, the small leaves do not provide the large photosynthetic surface found on plants such as cottonwoods or sagebrush.
Instead, the green stems remain photosynthetically active. This arrangement suits dry landscapes because the plant can maintain green tissue without supporting a large area of moisture-losing leaves. Older stems gradually become woody, and thicker growth develops grayish, shredding bark while younger branches retain their greener appearance.
The result is a shrub that can look almost leafless from a distance while remaining actively green.
How Its Form Fits Dry Environments
Mormon tea combines several traits commonly associated with plants of water-limited landscapes. Reduced leaves limit exposed leaf surface, while photosynthetic stems allow the shrub to continue producing energy. A well-developed root system helps established plants use moisture held deeper in rocky or coarse soils.
Green ephedra also tolerates soils that would be difficult for many garden plants. Populations occur on shallow or deeper substrates and on ground that may be sandy, gravelly, rocky, calcareous, moderately alkaline, or mildly saline. Persistently wet and poorly drained ground is much less characteristic of its habitat.
Good drainage is one of the recurring features of Mormon tea habitat. A plant may grow beside a desert wash, yet the soil around its roots can still drain rapidly once temporary runoff disappears.
Where Mormon Tea Grows Naturally
Ephedra viridis is native to the western United States. Kew’s Plants of the World Online records it from Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming.
Its distribution crosses several familiar dryland regions rather than belonging to one desert alone. It occurs through parts of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau and extends into landscapes influenced by the Mojave Desert and neighboring interior basins.
This broad environmental range explains why Mormon tea may appear in both stark desert scenery and cooler upland shrublands. It is not restricted to hot dune fields.
Elevation from Desert Basins to Upland Slopes
Utah State University reports green ephedra commonly at roughly 3,000 to 7,500 feet (about 900–2,300 m), with records from still higher elevations. Other botanical treatments extend its habitat range close to 2,950 m in parts of its distribution.
Elevation changes the plants growing around it. Lower sites may place Mormon tea among blackbrush or salt-desert shrubs, while higher settings can bring it into sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, and mountain-brush communities.
Habitats Where Mormon Tea Is Common
Mormon tea often occupies open ground where competition from dense vegetation is limited. Suitable sites include:
- rocky desert and semi-desert slopes
- alluvial fans and bajadas
- dry washes and drainage margins
- mesas and benches
- foothills and exposed ridges
- sagebrush shrublands
- blackbrush communities
- pinyon-juniper woodland openings
On the Colorado Plateau, Ephedra viridis can occur with blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima), Indian ricegrass, sand sagebrush, and other plants adapted to sparse, dry vegetation. In Great Basin settings, associates can include big sagebrush, Utah juniper, Nevada ephedra, galleta grass, and sand dropseed.
These communities often look open compared with wetter forests or grasslands. Bare stone, gravel, biological soil crusts, and patches of exposed mineral soil may occupy much of the space between shrubs.
Mormon Tea Is a Gymnosperm, Not a Flowering Shrub
Mormon tea can easily be mistaken for an unusual flowering shrub, but Ephedra belongs to the gymnosperms. The family Ephedraceae contains the genus Ephedra, and the genus is part of the order Ephedrales.
That botanical relationship matters when describing its reproduction. Mormon tea does not produce true flowers in the botanical sense. What may look like tiny flowers along the stems are male or female reproductive cones.
Most Ephedra viridis plants are dioecious, meaning male and female reproductive structures usually occur on separate individual plants.
Male and Female Cones
The cones form around the stem nodes, making the joints important for more than branching. Male cones are small and generally occur in groups. Female cones contain bracts surrounding the developing reproductive structures.
Female Ephedra viridis cones are roughly 6–10 mm long in botanical descriptions. Mature cones produce paired brown seeds that are commonly about 5–8 mm long.
These structures are much less conspicuous than the large flowers or fruits produced by many desert plants, so visitors often notice the stems long before they notice the plant’s reproductive structures.
Why It Is Called Mormon Tea
The common name developed from the historical use of Ephedra stems for brewed drinks in the American West. Indigenous peoples had long used North American ephedras in several ways, and later settlers, including Mormon pioneers, also prepared beverages from the stems. The names Mormon tea and Brigham tea became attached to the plant.
The common name can cause botanical confusion because “Mormon tea” is not reserved for a single species. Several western North American members of Ephedra have received Mormon tea or joint-fir names in regional usage.
Ephedra viridis is therefore best identified by its scientific name when precise plant identification matters.
Mormon Tea and Similar Ephedra Species
Several Ephedra species occupy overlapping dry regions of the American West. Their narrow, jointed stems give them a similar overall appearance, but details of stem color, branching, leaves, and cone structures help separate them.
| Species | Common Name | Useful Field Character |
|---|---|---|
| Ephedra viridis | Green ephedra / Mormon tea | Bright green to yellow-green branchlets, upright broom-like form, persistent brown leaf bases |
| Ephedra nevadensis | Nevada ephedra / Nevada jointfir | Usually grayer-green stems and a more spreading appearance; leaf bases are less persistent |
| Ephedra torreyana | Torrey’s jointfir / Torrey Mormon tea | Leaves and bracts commonly occur in groups of three rather than pairs |
| Ephedra cutleri | Cutler’s jointfir | Often lower and spreading, with darker or olive-green stems; may form broad colonies |
Color alone should not be used as the only identification feature. Plant age, moisture conditions, season, and lighting can change how green or gray a shrub appears.
Green Ephedra vs. Nevada Ephedra
Ephedra viridis and Ephedra nevadensis are particularly easy to confuse because both grow in western drylands and both have strongly jointed stems.
Green ephedra usually has more upright, fastigiate branchlets that remain noticeably green or yellow-green. Its small leaf bases become brown and tend to persist at the nodes. Nevada ephedra is typically duller or gray-green, has more spreading branches, and loses its leaf bases more readily.
The difference becomes easier to see when mature plants of both species are compared in the same landscape.
Role in Desert and Shrubland Ecosystems
Mormon tea forms part of the woody structure of many western shrub communities. Because the stems remain above ground throughout the year, established plants provide persistent cover even when seasonal grasses and annual wildflowers have disappeared.
Wildlife may browse the twigs, especially during seasons when other green forage is limited. The plant can also occupy rocky or disturbed ground where its perennial root system and woody crown help maintain vegetation cover.
Land-management sources have included green ephedra in revegetation work for dry western landscapes. Its tolerance for drought, coarse substrates, and exposed sites makes it useful where plants must establish under low-moisture conditions.
How Mormon Tea Changes Through the Year
The overall plant remains recognizable through every season because its photosynthetic stems are evergreen. Its appearance still changes with growth and reproduction.
Fresh branchlets can appear brighter green than older growth. Reproductive cones develop around stem joints, while mature woody stems become grayer and develop peeling or shredding bark. During prolonged dry periods, the shrub may appear more muted, but established plants retain the skeletal pattern of upright jointed branches.
This makes Mormon tea visually different from many neighboring desert shrubs whose leaves are shed during drought, cold, or seasonal dormancy.
Why Mormon Tea Is Sometimes Mistaken for a Cactus or Succulent
Its reduced leaves and green stems can make Mormon tea look superficially similar to some succulents, but the resemblance comes from adaptation to dry conditions rather than close botanical relationship.
Mormon tea is neither a cactus nor a succulent. Its stems do not function as large water-storage organs like the swollen stems of many cacti. Instead, they serve as persistent photosynthetic tissue on a woody shrub.
This is an example of different desert plants arriving at different solutions to the same problem: maintaining active tissue while limiting water loss.
Mormon Tea Within the Wider Ephedra Genus
The genus Ephedra extends far beyond North America. Species occur across dry and semi-dry regions of Europe, North Africa, Central and Southwest Asia, China, South America, and western North America.
Ephedra viridis, however, is specifically a western North American species. It should not be treated as interchangeable with Asian species such as Ephedra sinica.
This distinction is especially important because chemical composition differs among Ephedra species. Historical beverage names, botanical identity, and commercial products labeled “ephedra” do not necessarily refer to the same plant or chemical profile.
A Note on the Tea Name and Modern Ephedra Products
The word “tea” in the plant’s common name reflects historical use; it should not be read as a general statement about the safety or composition of modern herbal products.
Research on the genus shows substantial chemical differences among species. The Asian species Ephedra sinica, commonly called ma huang, is associated with ephedrine alkaloids and is not the same species as Ephedra viridis.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration prohibits dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids because of their health risks. Plant identification based only on the common name “Mormon tea” is therefore unreliable for determining the composition or safety of any preparation.
Common Questions About Mormon Tea
Is Mormon Tea a Desert Plant?
Yes, but its habitat is broader than extremely hot desert. Ephedra viridis grows in desert and semi-desert shrublands as well as sagebrush country, pinyon-juniper openings, foothills, and other dry upland environments.
Does Mormon Tea Have Leaves?
Yes. The leaves are extremely small and scale-like, occurring opposite one another at the joints of the stems. Their reduced size is why the plant often appears leafless.
Does Mormon Tea Produce Flowers?
No true flowers are produced. Mormon tea is a gymnosperm and develops male and female cones instead. Some small reproductive structures can resemble flowers at first glance.
Why Do the Stems Stay Green?
The young stems contain photosynthetic tissue and perform much of the work normally associated with leaves. This allows the plant to maintain a very small leaf surface while keeping green tissue exposed to sunlight.
Where Is Green Mormon Tea Native?
Kew records Ephedra viridis as native to Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming.
Is Every Plant Called Mormon Tea Ephedra viridis?
No. Mormon tea is a regional common name applied to more than one North American Ephedra species. Scientific names provide a more reliable way to distinguish them.
Sources
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Ephedra viridis (accepted taxonomy, classification, and native distribution)
- Utah State University — Green Ephedra (morphology, habitat, soils, elevation, ecology, and associated vegetation)
- U.S. Forest Service — Ephedra viridis Species Review (distribution, habitat, ecology, and land-management information)
- Utah Valley University — Ephedra viridis (botanical description, identification, cones, similar species, and native habitat)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health — Ephedra (distinction between ephedra species and health information concerning ephedrine-containing products)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Ephedrine Alkaloid Dietary Supplement Rule (U.S. regulatory status of dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids)