Ephedra viridis Seeds | Green Ephedra

Pale brown Green Ephedra seeds, angular and papery-winged, on a plain background — Green Ephedra (*Ephedra viridis*): Ephedraceae, native to dry slopes and pinyon-juniper woodland of the western United States.

LATIN NAME: Ephedra viridis

COMMON NAME: Green Ephedra

Plant Profile

Green Ephedra is a jointed, leafless-looking shrub of the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau, growing half a metre to a metre and a half tall and as wide. What look like leaves are in fact green stems, ribbed and jointed at the nodes; true leaves are reduced to tiny brown scales at each joint. It is dioecious, with pollen cones and seed cones on separate plants, and the female cones ripen to a reddish, fleshy, berry-like fruit.

It grows on dry, rocky or sandy slopes and in pinyon-juniper woodland from about 1,200 to 2,500 metres, where winter is cold and summer is hot and rain is scarce. The bright yellow-green of its stems stands out against the grey of sagebrush.

Science & Biotechnology

Green Ephedra is chemically the odd one out among the ephedras. North American species such as this one contain little or no ephedrine, which is why the Mormon tea brewed from them was a mild everyday drink rather than the potent stimulant made from the Asian Ephedra sinica. Trace amounts of pseudoephedrine and norpseudoephedrine have been reported in some analyses, so the plant is not absolutely alkaloid-free, but its pharmacological strength is a fraction of its Chinese relative’s.

Its stems are also photosynthetic throughout the year, and studies of the genus have used species like this to examine how jointed, leafless shoots balance gas exchange against water loss in a dry climate. The cones provide food for insects and, later, for birds and small mammals.

Uses & Benefits

Mormon tea is the common name, and the stems were brewed by settlers and by Shoshone, Paiute and other Great Basin peoples as a mild, slightly bitter drink taken for colds and stomach upset. It contains no caffeine, and the stimulant reputation of ephedra belongs to the Asian species, not to this one.

In the garden it is a curiosity for a dry border or a gravel bed: an architectural, almost prehistoric-looking shrub that asks for nothing once established. Its deep taproot and sparse top make it a useful plant on a hot bank, and its green stems give winter interest where most desert shrubs are grey.

Growing from Seed

Ephedra seed carries a hard coat and germinates unevenly. Soak it for a day in warm water, then sow it five millimetres deep in a sharply drained mix of grit, sand and loam, and keep the tray at 20 to 25 °C. Germination can take a month or more, and only part of a batch will come up.

Seedlings have a deep taproot and resent being moved, so sow individually in tall pots and plant out before the roots circle. Give full sun, sharp drainage and no rich compost; established plants need no water at all in a Mediterranean or desert climate. In a wet climate grow it in a raised bed with a gravel mulch.

Our Take

The mild Mormon tea of the American West, and a shrub of real character for dry ground. Not a plant to brew without knowing which species you have, but an easy one to grow.

Herb Seeds