winterfat

plural winterfats

1. uncountableusuallyAny of the shrubs of genus Krascheninnikovia in the goosefoot family, especially Krascheninnikovia lanata.

   Winterfat was found growing luxuriantly on soil where the salt content of the fourth foot reached 1 percent.

   1939, Paul Random Henson, Harvey Leroy Westover, Alfalfa Experiments at Stoneville, Miss., 1935-37, page 25

   3 more examples

   Winterfat, as the name implies, is chiefly valuable on winter ranges, where it often furnishes an abundance of palatable and nutritious forage highly fattening to sheep and cattle.

   1937, Range Plant Handbook

   Storage in sealed containers either at subzero temperatures (-4° to -10° F.) or under refrigeration (34° to 42° F.) is recommended for maximum retention of viability of winterfat seeds.

   1973, H. W. Springfield, Winterfat fruits and seeds retain high viability 3 years in cold storage

   Long ago, J.G. Smith, in his publication on fodder and forage plants for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, thought that livestock fed on winterfat were "remarkably free from disease becaus of the tonic properties of the plant." Winterfat is a good source of protein and vitamin A.

   1987, Hugh Nelson Mozingo, Shrubs of the Great Basin: A Natural History, →ISBN, page 72

   Synonyms: krascheninnikovia