Hopi tea, Thelesperma megapotimicum

Hopi tea is indeed used for tea. The brew, an infusion or even a sun tea, is occasionally sold commercially. Southwestern Indians also used this as a herbal medicine for various ailments. The floretes in each head have short stalks, giving this a more open look than most members of the aster family. Sometimes called cota, Navajo tea, or greenthread, this grows in AR, AZ, CA, CO, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NM, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WY, Mexico, and South America. Eastern occurrences are post-Columbian (spread by gardeners and tea drinkers?). Lake Co CO, 6/20/13.