Winterfat
Krascheninnikovia lanata
Family: Amaranthaceae
Forb growing to about 3’ x 3’ with gray-brown, exfoliating bark and fuzzy, pale blueish silver, deciduous foliage. There are generally separate male and female flowers on the same plant—the female flowers have smaller bracts and develop tiny white fruits (fuzzy white stuff in the fall). The silky hairs on the fruits allow for wind dispersal.
Full to part sun, moderate to low water with good drainage. Extremely hardy, to -40°F. Winterfat is a halophyte that thrives in salty soils such as those on alkali flats.
This species is an important winter forage for grazing domestic and wild animals because it is evergreen, hence its common name.
Photo by Max Licher, SEINET
Krascheninnikovia lanata on iNaturalist
Winter fat was a traditional medicinal plant used by many Native American tribes that lived within its large North American range. These tribes used traditional plants to treat a wide variety of ailments and for other benefits. The Zuni people use a poultice of ground root bound with a cotton cloth to treat burns.
There are 3 species of Krascheninnikovia in Eurasia and North America. The genus, Krascheninnikovia, is named for the Russian botanist Stepan Petrovich Krascheninnikov (1713-1755), while lanata means covered with long, woolly hair.
Found on slopes and plains, sometimes on alkaline soils from 2,000-7,000 ft. in most of western North America; From the Yukon, Canada south to northern Mexico and east to Oklahoma and Texas.