Common Names:Mormon Tea, Brigham Tea, Gree Joint - fir
E. viridis can survive temp. of -18 C.
Division: Gnetophyta
Class: Ephedropsida
SubClass: Gnetophytes
Order: Ephedrales
Family: Ephedraceae
Habitat:E. viridis grows in dry climates, often on dry rocky slopes and canyon walls. It is also found on gravel terraces and limestone.
Unusual Properties: E. viridis contains ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norephedrine, N-methyl pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, and tannin.
Supplements derived from E. viridis have been used as fat burners by Viridis Laboratories.
E. viridis blooms mid-spring. It is a perennial with opposite leaves. It has cones and separate male and female plants.
Herbivory: Small mammals such as deer mice graze E. Veridis year round, especially feeding on seeds. Large mammals graze E. viridis during winter months. Birds forage seeds from E. viridis.
Historical Applications:
 Neanderthal graves have been found with bodies surrounded with 8 plants - 7 medicinal, E. viridis being one of them. |
 Navajo Indians used E. viridis to make flour and a coffee-like drink, used charcoal from E. viridis for tattooing, and made a cough medicine/backache remedy from the plant. |
 Mormon pioneers made tea from E. viridis, hence the common name Mormon and Brigham tea, (fromm church leader Brigham Young). |
References:
http://www.deser-tropicals.com/Plants/Ephedraceae/Ephedra_viridis.html
http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/acc_num/199300447.html
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=6199&flora_id=1
http://plants.usda.gov/java/charProfgov/java/charProfv/java/charProfile?syrr
http://medplant.nmsu.edu/ephedramsu.edu/ephedrau..edu/ephedra.html
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/us/database/feis//database/feis/plants/s
http://www.conifers.org/ep/ep/viridis.org/ep/ep/viridorg/ep/ep/viridis.htm
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