Plant Name
Scientific Name: Thelesperma megapotamicum
Synonyms: Bidens megapotamica, Thelesperma gracile
Common Name: Hopi Tea Greenthread
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb, Fern
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Upland, Mountain
Flower Color: Golden yellow disks
Flowering Season: Spring (late), Summer, Fall (early)
Height: To 36 inches (1 m) tall
Description: The flower heads are rayless, 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) wide, and found at the stem tips. The leaves are green, opposite, and pinnate with a few linear to threadlike lobes. The stems are long, slender, and weak.
Special Characteristics
Edible – The flowers and foliage are edible and can be used to make a flavorful, medicinal tea.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus: Thelesperma Less. – greenthread
Species: Thelesperma megapotamicum (Spreng.) Kuntze – Hopi tea greenthread
More About This Plant