Ephedraceae

(Mormon Tea Family)

Habit

dioecious shrubs with jointed, green stems

Leaves

opposite or in whorls of 3-4, scale-like

Cones

small, borne in axils

Female cone

with 2-4 pairs of bracts

Ovules

1-3 per cone

Male cones

in spikelike clusters

Pollen

without air bladders

Seeds

surrounded by dry or fleshy bracts

Embryo

with 2 cotyledons

Diversity

1 genus / 40 species

Distribution

N. Hemisphere and S. America; 6 spp. in Arizona

Economics

Asian spp. are the source of the alkaloid ephedrine (used in cold remedies); locals used it as Mormon tea.

Notes

---

Images

• ">Vascular Plant Image Gallery (Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group)
• Wisconsin State Herbarium
• ">Google Images