Description
Krascheninnikovia lanata
Attractive and tidy drought-tolerant Great Basin native evergreen shrub.
Winterfat is remarkable in its ability to thrive in alkaline and salty soils. It is a pioneer species that can establish on degraded land and provide erosion control with its thick taproot and extensive network of fibrous roots. Long-lived and hardy, it is also beautiful, with silvery leaves and white-tufted seedheads in late summer. Winterfat is an excellent browse plant for deer, rodents, rabbits, elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, goats, and cattle. It grows to 3’ tall and wide.
Winterfat is a part of the ancestral lifeways of Native people throughout the Intermountain West. We acknowledge the impact colonization has had on the ancestral foodways and medicines of this area, and are seeking guidance about how we can best be of use in supporting Indigenous-led efforts to restore these ancestral foodways.
Seeds were sustainably wildcrafted in the Great Basin by Kyle and friends at Native-Seed Company.
75 seeds
Directions: Plant seeds on the soil surface, no deeper than ¼”, in winter or early spring. Seedlings are frost-tolerant and do well at cool temperatures.
Planting Depth |
Plant Spacing |
Days to Germination |
Days to Maturity |
On surface |
3’ |
60+ | perennial |
For more information about growing Winterfat, please refer to the USDA Plant Guide.