Mexican Tea

(Dysphania ambrosioides)

Mexican Tea (Dysphania ambrosioides)

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Estimated Native Range
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Summary

Dysphania ambrosioides, commonly known as Mexican Tea, is an annual herb native to Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. It thrives in a variety of habitats including disturbed sites, roadsides, and cultivated fields. This plant typically grows to 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) tall and is irregularly branched with oblong-lanceolate leaves up to 12 cm (4+1⁄2 in) long. The inconspicuous flowers are small and green, produced in a branched panicle at the apex of the stem, and are not particularly showy. Mexican Tea is known for its pungent fragrance and is often used in traditional medicine and as a culinary herb, particularly in Latin American cuisine.

Mexican Tea is valued for its ease of growth and maintenance, as well as its use as a culinary and medicinal plant. It is commonly cultivated in herb gardens and as a natural insect repellent. In cultivation, it prefers full sun but can tolerate part shade, requires medium amounts of water, and grows best in soils with medium drainage. While it is not known for a particular problem with diseases, it can become weedy and potentially invasive outside its native range, so caution is advised when planting it in areas where it could spread uncontrollably.CC BY-SA 4.0

Plant Description

  • Plant Type: Subshrub, Herb
  • Height: 1-3 feet
  • Width: 0.4-0.9 feet
  • Growth Rate: Moderate
  • Flower Color: N/A
  • Flowering Season: Summer, Fall
  • Leaf Retention:

Growth Requirements

  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Water: Medium
  • Drainage: Medium

Common Uses

Edible*Disclaimer: Easyscape's listed plant edibility is for informational use. Always verify the safety and proper identification of any plant before consumption., Fragrant, Low Maintenance

Natural Habitat

Thrives in a variety of habitats including disturbed sites, roadsides, and cultivated fields

Other Names

Common Names: Wormseed, Jesuit’s Tea, Mexican-Tea, Wormseed Goosefoot, Duft-Drüsengänsefuß, Ambrosine, Chénopode Fausse-Ambroisie, Thé De Silésie, Thé Des Jésuites, Thé Du Mexique

Scientific Names: , Dysphania ambrosioides, Chenopodium ambrosioides, Teloxys ambrosioides, Vulvaria ambrosioides, Chenopodium ambrosioides var. ambrosioides, Ambrina ambrosioides, Chenopodium ambrosioides var. pubescens, Chenopodium suffruticosum, Chenopodium ambrosioides subsp. suffruticosum

GBIF Accepted Name: Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants