Overview
Krascheninnikovia lanata is a low, woody-based subshrub in the amaranth family, growing 1-3 feet (0.3-0.9 m) tall and wide with erect, branching stems clothed in soft, star-shaped hairs. The narrow, linear leaves are 0.5-1.5 inches (1.5-4 cm) long, gray-green, and rolled at the margins, with woolly hairs that lend the plant a silvery cast. It is largely dioecious, carrying male and female flowers usually on separate plants; the small, petalless flowers appear in summer and are easy to overlook. The female flowers ripen in late summer and autumn into seeds wrapped in long, white to tawny woolly hairs that cover the upper stems in a dense, frosted plume. These woolly fruits give the plant both its common name and its role as winter forage for livestock and wildlife on the open range. It grows on dry plains, deserts, alkaline flats, and rocky slopes across western North America, often on saline or gypsum soils. Deep roots let it endure severe drought, cold, and poor ground. The silvery foliage and woolly seed plumes make it readily recognizable in dry-country plantings.
Native Range
Native to western North America, from the prairies and Great Plains west across the Intermountain region to California and south into Mexico. It grows in desert scrub, sagebrush steppe, salt-desert flats, and dry grassland, often on alkaline, saline, or gypsum soils. Its range stretches from Canada to northern Mexico.Suggested Uses
Krascheninnikovia lanata is used in dryland restoration, rangeland reseeding, and native, water-thrifty gardens on lean or alkaline soils. Its silvery foliage and woolly autumn seed heads suit desert and gravel gardens and erosion control on dry slopes. It is grazed as winter forage by livestock, deer, antelope, and other wildlife.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1' - 3'
Width/Spread1' - 3'
Reaches mature size in approximately 3 years
Colors
Bloom Information
The small, greenish, petalless flowers open through summer and are easy to miss. The real display comes in late summer and autumn, when female plants carry dense white-to-tawny woolly seed clusters along the upper stems. These woolly plumes persist into winter, giving the plant a frosted look long after bloom.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
greenish, inconspicuousFoliage Description
gray-green to silveryGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight