Flowers
Mormon Tea at White Dome Nature
Conservancy 23 April 2016
Photo Details
1. plant, 2. stem
close-up, December 12, 2004 - Red Butte Gardens,
Salt Lake County, Utah - more...Mormon
Tea at Dead Horse Point - ŠNicky Davis,
3. Mormon Tea in the White Dome
Nature Conservancy near St. George,
Washington County, Utah
Description
syn. Joint Grass
Size:
3 to 4 feet tall, Flowers: inconspicuous
yellow flower, Leaves:
minute, Stems: green jointed stems which
perform photosynthesis for the plant
This perennial plant is a native Utah
shrub with a high tolerance to drought and fire.
It has a medium palatablitily to browsing
animals. Mormon settlers made a tea
from the stems."The Navajo brewed the tops
into a drink for use as a cough medicine. Other
indians roasted the seeds, ate them whole or
ground them into a meal for various uses"
(Elmore and Janish 1976). The plant contains the
drug pseudoephedrine, which is sold commercially
as a nasal decongestant and cold remedy. Some
Old World species contain ephedrine, a stronger
stimulant which is sometimes used as a weight
loss and energy enhancing drug. Green
ephedra is highly toxic to both domestic
sheep and cows during gestation, even at low
doses. Green ephedra plant tissue contains
ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norephedrine,
N-methyl pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine,
N-mehtyl pseudoephedrine, and a high tannin
content
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