Krascheninnikovia lanata is a small shrub sending erect stem branches to heights between 0.5–1 metre (1.6–3.3 ft). It produces flat lance-shaped leaves up to 3 centimeters long. The stems and gray foliage are covered in woolly white hairs that age to a reddish color.[3] The woolly hairs start development in the late fall and gradually diminish through the winter season.[4]
The tops of the stem branches are occupied by plentiful spike inflorescences from March to June.[3] The shrub is generally monoecious, with each upright inflorescence holding mostly staminate flowers with a few pistillate flowers clustered near the bottom. The staminate flowers have large, woolly leaflike bracts.
The pistillate flowers have smaller bracts and develop tiny white fruits. The silky hairs on the fruits allow for wind dispersal.
This species is an important winter forage for grazing domestic and wild animals because it is evergreen, hence its common name.[1]
Cultivation
Winterfat is sometimes grown in xeriscape or native plant gardens for its striking whitish wool. It is especially valued for the fall and winter interest it provides in gardens. Small plants are easily transplanted.[4]
Native American use
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.[5] The Zuni people use a poultice of ground root bound with a cotton cloth to treat burns.[6]
^ abBarr, Claude A. (1983). Jewels of the plains : wild flowers of the Great Plains grasslands and hills. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 79. ISBN0-8166-1127-0.
