Hippophae tibetana Schltdl.

Shrubs, small, sometimes rhizomatous, (5-)10-60(-80) cm tall. Older stems dark gray, thick, with regularly spaced scars of deciduous leafy branches; leafy stems slender, unbranched, spine tipped. Leaves mostly in whorls of 3; petiole ca. 1 mm; leaf blade abaxially whitish, adaxially grayish, linear-oblong, 1.2-2 × 0.25-0.4 cm, densely scaly, abaxially with scattered subentire, reddish brown scales and reddish brown midrib, margin flat. Male flowers ca. 2 mm; anthers ca. 1.5 mm. Peduncle 1-2 mm. Fruit yellowish green, globose to elliptic, terete, 8-11 × 6-9 mm. Endocarp difficult to separate from seed. Seed somewhat flattened, 4-5.6 × 1.9-2.8 mm. Fr. May. 2n = 24*.

It is a temperate plant. It grows in cold desert in north India. In Nepal plants grow between 3800 and 4200 m altitude. They grow on rocky or sandy ground. It is cold hardy down to-10°C.

The acidic ripe fruit are eaten raw or pickled. They are boiled with sugar to form preserves.

Plants are grown from seed.