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Taxon  Report  
Ephedra funerea  Coville & C. V. Morton
Death valley ephedra,   Death valley jointfir
Ephedra funerea is a shrub that is native to California, and found only slightly beyond California borders.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Genus: Ephedra
Family: Ephedraceae  
Category: gymnosperm  
PLANTS group:Gymnosperm
Jepson eFlora section: gymnosperm

Toxicity: Do not eat any part of this plant.

Communities: Creosote Bush Scrub

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
JEF + PLANTSEphedra californica var. funerea
Information about  Ephedra funerea from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (EPFU)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Range, Etymology, Culinary Use: It is native to the Mojave Desert of California, Arizona and Nevada. It is named after a population in the Funeral Mountains, in Death Valley National Park. Native Americans and Mormon pioneers drank a tea brewed from this plant called Mormon Tea or Indian Tea. (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 04/18/2024).